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Daily news from Carrubbers Christian CentreReligion, Spirituality, Christianity, Edinburgh, Carrubbersen-gbwebmaster@carrubbers.org (Carrubbers Webmaster)webmaster@carrubbers.org (Carrubbers Webmaster)http://www.carrubbers.org/blogCopyright Carrubbers Christian Centre 2019http://www.carrubbers.org/image/ccc-200.pngDaily news from Carrubbers Christian Centrehttp://www.carrubbers.org/blog
Sat, 25 May 2019 14:53:20 +0100Sat, 25 May 2019 14:53:20 +0100Summer Sabbatical 2019https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1921/
<p><strong>Sabbatical: Rev David Nixon</strong></p>
<p><strong>Dates</strong>: June 3<sup>rd</sup> &ndash; August 31<sup>st</sup> 2019</p>
<p><strong>Focus</strong>: Leadership Development</p>
<p><strong>Context and Goals:</strong></p>
<p>Thank you for the opportunity to take a pause to invest in some additional training, before embarking into an exciting new season of life and ministry.&nbsp; I was encouraged by some wise counsellors to use this sabbatical to develop a &ldquo;Leadership Vision/Philosophy of Ministry&rdquo; for the future.&nbsp; Unexpectedly, but naturally, this started to happen in January when I had the opportunity to lay out some fresh vision for our future work in Scotland (&ldquo;The Haggai Manifesto&rdquo;) and in March when I shared some fresh strategic thinking for being an &ldquo;Acts 16&rdquo; church in the city.&nbsp; Hopefully these things will help us as we move into a new season as a church.</p>
<p>We are in A <em>CHANGING CITY</em> (new parking and traffic restrictions which will impact us as a gathered Sunday community, as well as new building developments next door), <em>A CHANGING CULTURE</em> (as the influence of secularism, radical identity politics and other forces challenge Christian freedoms of conscience, speech, and private family life) and <em>A CHANGING CHURCH</em> (as we rethink our city centre ministry strategy, undergo a significant leadership transition and eldership restructuring).&nbsp;</p>
<p>To help take our church through these changing situations, I feel the need to be better equipped and to gain additional leadership wisdom.&nbsp; I want to be a more positive, constructive leader as I serve on the staff and elder teams, and I want to be a greater blessing to the people that we lead in our church family.&nbsp; Such leadership wisdom and skills need to be &lsquo;caught&rsquo; as much as &lsquo;taught&rsquo;.</p>
<p><strong>Plans:</strong></p>
<p>I have been in conversation with several experienced Christian leaders to come up with the following as core components for the sabbatical:</p>
<ul>
<li>Secondment work with Solas Centre for Public Christianity helping produce book, article and podcast resources for apologetics ministry across Scotland (working with Dr Andy Bannister).</li>
<li>360 degree Leadership Mentoring/Coaching (with Charismore Ltd &ndash; Jamie MacRae).</li>
<li>Selected interviews of church leaders in a wide variety of churches in Edinburgh.</li>
<li>Summer school with the Chalmers Institute (with Dr Mark Stirling and Covenant Seminary in July).</li>
<li>Extensive guided reading list on leadership (in church and in culture) &ndash; informed by Malcolm McGregor, Matthew Round, Michael Luehrmann, Andy Hunter, David Robertson and Tim Keller.</li>
<li>Starting a new blog/newsletter on our website, called &ldquo;Thinking Together,&rdquo; to expose our people to useful resources from Christian books and sources for contemporary life and ministry.</li>
<li>Possible: Mental Health Triage Course (for additional pastoral care training).</li>
</ul>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Tue, 14 May 2019 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1921/Parking Restrictions this Sundayhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1918/
<p class="x_MsoNormal">Good afternoon folks,</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">&nbsp;We were praying for you in the staff meeting this morning, trusting the Holy Spirit to empower and embrace you as you go about daily life in Jesus&rsquo; name, in the city, across the country or around the world. (<a href="http://static.carrubbers.org/audio/mp3/2019/04/20190428am.mp3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable">Link to Sunday&rsquo;s sermon on The Holy Spirit, John 14</a>)</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">&nbsp; <strong>Sunday 5<sup>th</sup> May</strong> sees the City of Edinburgh Council&rsquo;s first <strong>&lsquo;Open Streets&rsquo;</strong> experiment, where the <strong>Royal Mile will be pedestrianised for community use</strong>.&nbsp; As a result vehicle access will be limited to blue badge holders and bicycles, and parking in the side streets will be available for the first service, and limited for the second.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">&nbsp;Once your initial thoughts of inconvenience subside, help me explore how might we enter into the spirit of things!&nbsp; What does it mean for us to encourage the Council in seeking the &lsquo;shalom of the city&rsquo;?&nbsp;&nbsp; (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2029:4-7&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable">See Jeremiah 29:4-7</a>)&nbsp;&nbsp; If we are here for the good of the city, what positive moves can we make to bring life and hope in our home town?&nbsp;</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">&nbsp;Ideas on a postcard please, and, when you&rsquo;ve finished dreaming about your lasting impact, here is a map and information to help you join us on Sunday to worship the city-transforming King of Kings.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/CET/info/9/consultation/20/open_streets/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable"> https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/CET/info/9/consultation/20/open_streets/2</a></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">&nbsp; Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God,</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">&nbsp;Adrian</p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Tue, 30 Apr 2019 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1918/Quick Answers To Hard Questionshttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1913/
<p>Last night, in Acts 24-26, we witnessed Paul on trial.&nbsp; He stood accused of the religious crime of sacrilege against Moses and the political crime of sedition against Caesar.&nbsp; Repeatedly, on all counts, he was found to be innocent.&nbsp; Thereafter, we considered what accusations are made against Christianity in the court of public opinion today.&nbsp; Here is a write up of some quick ways to respond&nbsp; to some of the most common ones:</p>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S UNSCIENTIFIC</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Science proceeds on the basis of an assumption (faith) in the &ldquo;rational intelligibility of the universe&rdquo; (John Lennox) &ndash; because science presupposes an intelligent mind of a divine creator and designer. &ldquo;Men became scientific because they expected laws in nature, ad they expected laws in nature because they believed in a divine law-giver&rdquo; (C.S Lewis)</li>
<li>The true conflict is not God VS Science; it&rsquo;s between two competing belief systems (worldviews / philosophies): Atheistic science VS Theistic science</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S VIOLENT / IT&rsquo;S JUDGEMENTAL</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We don&rsquo;t get our problem with violence and judgement from the Greeks or Romans &ndash; they boasted of the numbers slain in battle and were outspoken in their condemnation on those they considered inferior to themselves. Instead, a world that gloried in honour, strength, power, justice was turned upside down by the values of Jesus who exemplified weakness, humility, mercy, forgiveness and love.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The very values that cause us discomfort at some things we find in the Bible are actually shaped by the Bible itself! That's why Jordan Peterson says: &ldquo;The Bible is the foundational document of western civilisation&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S HOMOPHOBIC</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>It&rsquo;s good to stop to ask some questions in conversation:
<ul>
<li>What about you, do you believe that there is any sort of inappropriate or unacceptable sexual activity? (most likely yes e.g. with children)</li>
<li>How do you know that is wrong? Where is your authority for making that judgement?&nbsp; (most likely it will be because this is what our culture considers acceptable and has expressed in its laws)</li>
<li>But what if our society changes its mind in future? Then something you think is wrong and dangerous today will be celebrated as good and acceptable.&nbsp; Is good and evil simply a question of majority popular opinion - do you see how that could and has gone wrong?</li>
<li>Instead, we&rsquo;re IKEA Christians, we want to follow our maker&rsquo;s instructions, believing He knows how life and sex is meant to work best.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The fact is that all of us struggle with aspects of our sexuality, because these strong desires and drives, which can leave us feeling confused, frustrated or ashamed. The Bible has always seemed strange about sex &ndash; the Old Testament&rsquo;s view of sex was radically different to the rampant pagan fertility religions of the day, the New Testament&rsquo;s view of sex was radically different to the 'anything goes' Greco-Roman culture of the day.&nbsp; But the Bible celebrates the beautiful place of sex between a man and a woman, who are covenantally committed to one another for all their lives saying: All that I am I give to you, all that I have I share with you (bodily, financially, socially, emotionally, spiritually).&nbsp; Otherwise you are saying with your body something which you are refusing in the rest of your life!</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>The Christian faith is exclusive only in the sense that the human race is universally sick and there is an exclusive remedy &ndash; there is only one thing that can make us well again.&nbsp; You are welcome to try any other course of treatment, but it won't heal you.&nbsp; However, Christianity is also radically inclusive, because that remedy is made freely available to everyone!</li>
<li>Unlike all the other religions and philosophies of the world, which require you to work your way up to the gods or to pull yourself up by your bootstraps (but not everyone is smart enough, good enough, born into the right circumstances to do that); the gospel is the good news of how God has come down and done everything necessary for us to be saved in the person of Jesus &ndash; and freely offers Himself to us all (no matter who we are or what we have done). That is why Christianity is the only truly global multicultural faith.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S PRO-SLAVERY</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We are rightly concerned with equality in our society, we want everyone to be treated fairly and properly, with their human dignity respected. However, where do we get that idea of equality from &ndash; after all, naturally we are all so different in ability that inequality is the default reality?&nbsp; We don&rsquo;t get equality from the Greeks or Romans &ndash; they believed some people were 'born to be tools' and others 'born to be kings' &ndash; they didn&rsquo;t believe men and women were equal, nor young and old &ndash; also they didn&rsquo;t believe that all races were equal.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The reason we have a problem with slavery, is because we live in a society that has been profoundly shaped in its values and attitudes by the Bible. The Bible declares that all human beings have been made in God&rsquo;s image, sharing equally in glory and dignity in the sight of God.&nbsp; Those very ideas on page one of the Bible lit the fuse that would in time lead to the abolition of the historic cultural practice of slavery! (NB: slavery in biblical times was a form of indentured service in the extended family, rather than the barbaric evil of trans-Atlantic slavery in the 18<sup>th</sup> &ndash; 19<sup>th</sup> century plantations)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S INTOLERANT</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We live in a society which has redefined tolerance and that considers disagreement as hatred (together with protecting people from challenging ideas or difference perspectives via safe spaces, no platforming, trigger warnings). But we believe that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. But we believe that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.</li>
<li>The Bible teaches us from its first page that we must respect all people as made in God&rsquo;s image. That respect means that we must listen and take time to understand where other people are coming from.&nbsp; However, it is people who have rights, not ideas or ideologies.&nbsp; We can accept all people but we cannot accept all ideas/ideologies uncritically (our culture knows that is true, because it also rejects some ideas and ideologies as being dangerous!).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>IT&rsquo;S IRRELEVANT</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>It is &ldquo;chronological snobbery&rdquo; (C.S. Lewis) to assume that something is wrong or useless simply because it is old. Instead, the Bible proves that it has timeless value because it continues to be the world&rsquo;s best selling book, almost every year since the printing press was invented.</li>
<li>It addresses the issues which are explored and celebrated in our best selling novels and films (e.g. love, forgiveness, loyalty, war, peace, hope, justice, purpose, etc.)</li>
<li>It answers the deepest questions that humans have ever asked (Why are we here? Who am I?&nbsp; What is the nature of the good life?&nbsp; What happens to us after death?)</li>
</ul>
David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 01 Apr 2019 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1913/(11) MEANINGLESSNESS: What's the point?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1908/
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/03/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic.jpg" width="149" height="229" /></p>
<p>In the last of these blogs through Rachel Jones' book, she takes us to the book of Ecclesiastes: <em>&ldquo;Most of us aren&rsquo;t long out of education before we know what it&rsquo;s like to lose heart in the cycle of the daily grind: eat, sleep, work, repeat&rdquo;</em>.</p>
<p>One of the most important questions is: Why are we here?&nbsp; What makes my life worthwhile or meaningful?&nbsp; Without God, then we are just "blobs of carbon floating from one meaningless existence to another" - likewise the Teacher of Ecclesiastes laments that life "under the sun" (living without God in the picture) is "meaningless".&nbsp;</p>
<p>Rachel reflects on how, faced with our meaningless, our culture today tries to avoid reflecting on these questions:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Most of us don&rsquo;t ask ourselves the uncomfortable Why? question very often, because humans are experts at keeping themselves busy&hellip;. Our media-soaked age gives us a constant supply of content to fill our hungry eyes and ears.&nbsp; We&rsquo;re always looking to entertain ourselves as we mindlessly click on to the next article on the news app, or the next song on our playlist, or the next level on the game on our phone.&nbsp; Even if we&rsquo;re not entertained, at least we&rsquo;re distracted from the pitiable meaninglessness of the whole charade.&nbsp; The Teacher gives these distraction tactics a go too.&nbsp; He embarks on a search for meaning: fun times with friends, big nights out&hellip;. Countless Tinder hook-ups&hellip;. Buying his &lsquo;forever home&rsquo;&hellip; decorating his forever home from his backpacking trip around South-east Asia&hellip; climbing the career ladder&hellip; negotiating a pay rise&hellip; finding fame in his field&hellip; But in the end, nothing can distract him enough&hellip;. All of his achievements get the same damning verdict&hellip; What&rsquo;s the point?</em></p>
<p>We are caught between two realities: the fact that death makes our lives in this world ultimately meaningless, and the fact that within us there is a longing for a meaningful life:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Death makes life meaningless&hellip; because there&rsquo;s nothing we can hold on to.&nbsp; Death unravels all our hard work.&nbsp; Even the things that seem to mean the most &ndash; those relationships we treasure, will ultimately be undone by death.&nbsp; Life is meaningless.&nbsp; And yet&hellip; all of us find this so hard to accept.&nbsp; We long for our lives to mean something.&nbsp; To paraphrase Beyonc&eacute;, I want to do something or leave something that means I leave my footprints on the sand of time &ndash; that proves I was here, and that my time on Planet Earth made a difference somehow&hellip; <strong>There&rsquo;s something deep within us that refuses to settle for the notion that our existence is insignificant</strong>&hellip; &nbsp;but in order to find the meaning we crave, we need to find a solution to the problem of the grave&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Rachel pivots to consider how the answer to meaninglessness in death is the gospel: <em>"Whereas the Teacher in Ecclesiastes despaired in the face of death, Jesus is far more than a teacher &ndash; he is a Saviour, who calls us to follow him through death"</em></p>
<p>Jesus says: <strong>&ldquo;Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.&nbsp; For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.&nbsp; What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul.&nbsp; Our what can anyone give in exchange for their soul&rdquo; (Matthew 16:24-26)</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;This is a difficult passage, but Rachel helpfully explains:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;So often my longing for meaning is really a longing for me to mean something.&nbsp; I want me to be important.&nbsp; I want my life to be significant.&nbsp; So I cling to it, build it, protect it, desperately hoping that somehow it will reach the status of worthwhile.&nbsp; Yet Jesus says I need to lose my life.&nbsp; That means we have to stop trying to carve out a meaningful existence for ourselves by building our reputation or amassing wealth &ndash; or even by doing good or bringing happiness to others.&nbsp; We have to repent of putting ourselves at the centre of our own universe and put Jesus there instead&hellip; Although the cost is high, the rewards are massive.&nbsp; Lose your life like this, and Jesus guarantees that you will find it.&nbsp; &hellip; Death makes life meaningless.&nbsp; But dying to self makes life meaningful...The way that we die to self day by day is by recognising that every detail of our lives has been given to us by God and is to be invested for his glory, not our own&hellip;. </em></p>
<p>She finishes by reminding us that Jesus is the Lord of all creation and that the gospel sanctifies all areas of life, meaning the whole world is the arena in which we can meaningfully live, work and play for the glory of God:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>It&rsquo;s not just church stuff which is meaningful either.&nbsp; Everything: work, rest, and play &ndash; is made meaningful when we do it for the glory of God.&nbsp; Of course it doesn&rsquo;t always feel like that.&nbsp; You may not always be able to see meaning as you cycle through the daily grind of eat, sleep, work, repeat.&nbsp; But that&rsquo;s ok.&nbsp; God sees, and God knows.&nbsp; And one day, once he&rsquo;s welcomed you home as his good and faithful servant, you&rsquo;ll be able to see how he wove each little and large investment of gold he&rsquo;d given you into his great plan &ndash; how he used what you did to build his eternity.&nbsp; In a world in which everything else proves meaningless, that&rsquo;s meaning enough for me&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Wed, 06 Mar 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1908/(8) SINGLE: Why is everyone else getting married?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1907/
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic4.jpg" width="151" height="232" /></p>
<p>Chapter 8 is very moving to read as Rachel bears her soul.&nbsp; She begins confessing: <em>&ldquo;My sister is getting married in eleven days time&hellip;. Yet the truth is: I want it to be me.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t get me wrong &ndash; I love my sister and I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to celebrating with her&hellip; Of all the weddings I&rsquo;ve been to, this one will take me closest to seeing what the look on my father&rsquo;s face would be if he ever walks me down the aisle.&nbsp; And all the while I&rsquo;ll be knowing it isn&rsquo;t me; and all the while I&rsquo;ll be suspecting that it will never be&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She tells us who she's writing this chapter for - and basically we can all learn something from it:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s for you if you&rsquo;re single &ndash; whether it turns out to be just for now or for a lifetime (And maybe you know that it will almost certainly be a lifetime, because you&rsquo;re same-sex attracted and can&rsquo;t assume that marriage will ever be an option for you).&nbsp; But this chapter is also for you if you&rsquo;re dating, engaged or married.&nbsp; For one thing, you may well end up single again one day.&nbsp; And for another, whatever your relationship status, you&rsquo;ll definitely have single friends who need you to speak helpful truths to them, rather than thoughtless remarks, hurtful banter, or useless platitudes</em>&rdquo;</p>
<p>She puts into words the pain felt by many people when this subject is raised:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;You might already have read and heard a lot on singleness before.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve heard about the gift of singleness &ndash; and rolled your eyes at all the joke about it being the gift everyone wants to return.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve spoken to people who talk about being content with their singleness &ndash; but can&rsquo;t imagine that ever being you.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve thrown yourself into church or work or sports or whatever &ndash; but it hasn&rsquo;t helped with your loneliness.&nbsp; You know all the right answers &ndash; but answers don&rsquo;t give you the human touch that you crave&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She adapts the psychological &ldquo;Five stages of grief&rdquo; to put into words the experience of many Christians coming to terms with &ldquo;unwanted singleness&rdquo;:</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>DENIAL:</strong> &ldquo;This cannot possibly be it. I&rsquo;ll find someone one day.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m only ___ years old.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve got loads of time&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>ANGER:</strong> &ldquo;Why would God withhold this from me? It&rsquo;s not fair.&nbsp; I would be a much better boy/girlfriend than him/her&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>BARGAINING:</strong> &ldquo;God, what do you want from me? I&rsquo;ve been serving loads in church, and reading my bible&hellip; Maybe if I was more ____, then that person would like me&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>DEPRESSION:</strong> &ldquo;No one wants me. I&rsquo;ll always be alone&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>ACCEPTANCE:</strong> &ldquo;Maybe I won&rsquo;t ever get maybe. And maybe that&rsquo;s OK.&nbsp; And maybe it&rsquo;s even OK that it&rsquo;s OK&rdquo;</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Much of the chapter is a reflection on <strong>Lamentations 3:22-24: &ldquo;Because of the LORD&rsquo;s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.&nbsp; They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.&nbsp; I say to myself: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>Rachel draws two helpful lessons from this passage:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"First, if right now you&rsquo;re feeling unloved, unchosen, undesirable, know that God loves you greatly.&nbsp; He chose you to be part of his people and he wanted that enough to send his Son to save you from being consumed by the anger you&rsquo;re due.&nbsp; Secondly, the Lord&rsquo;s compassions are new every morning.&nbsp; That means that right now, you don&rsquo;t need to be ok with being single in 50 years time&hellip; Contentment with our singleness isn&rsquo;t a status that we arrive at and then bask in for the rest of our lives.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s something we depend on the Lord to give us each day&hellip; So here&rsquo;s the key question: is there a way to be OK with being single today?&nbsp; &hellip; Because if you can be OK being single today, you can be Ok being single tomorrow when it becomes today, and the day after that, and all the days that follow.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because God&rsquo;s compassions are new every morning &ndash; he will be tomorrow all that you need him to be&hellip;. God will prove himself faithful &ndash; day after day after day.</em></p>
<p>Then she reminds us of how Jesus practically meets the needs and longings of our heart for intimacy, through incorporating us into the church:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s only in Jesus that we will have our deepest aches and longings fulfilled completely.&nbsp; And all that&rsquo;s great&hellip; in theory.&nbsp; But it doesn&rsquo;t help you with your lust or your loneliness&hellip;. As one friend with rodent problem in her house told me: &lsquo;I get that Jesus is everything, but He&rsquo;s not here physically &ndash; it&rsquo;s a physical relationship that I crave more than anything else.&nbsp; Plus, Jesus can&rsquo;t empty my mouse traps&rsquo;. &hellip; Church is meant to be family &ndash; it&rsquo;s the place where we find brothers and sisters and parents and children and home&hellip;. You&rsquo;re part of the family of God &hellip; If you need someone to empty your mousetraps, you should be able to find that person in the church (Or buy a pair of gloves&hellip;) There ought to be no lonely people in God&rsquo;s family&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She also reframes the issue of our relationship status and gives us the bigger horizon of the gospel from which to view things:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Is there a way to be OK with being single today?&nbsp; Well there is.&nbsp; And yet the truth is contentment with our singleness isn&rsquo;t really the aim.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t need to seek to be more content with my singleness &ndash; not today, not on my sister&rsquo;s wedding day, not ever, really.&nbsp; Instead, I need to be more convinced that &lsquo;this world in its present form is passing away&rsquo; (1 Corinthians 7:31).&nbsp; I need to be so consumed with this coming reality that whether I&rsquo;m single or married just doesn&rsquo;t matter that much.&nbsp; I need to lift my eyes to a different horizon &ndash; beyond the what-ifs and if-onlys of the next few decades &ndash; to the awesome certainty that is thundering towards me.&nbsp; Because even the best Christian marriage is only ever a picture of what lies ahead for every Christian&hellip; It points to a time when the bride of Christ, the church, is brought to meet her groom and enjoy a truly permanent relationship of love and intimacy with him&hellip; On that wedding day in heaven, no Christian will feel like they&rsquo;ve missed out or have been left out&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Here's the beautiful ending to the chapter, as she shares how she will tackle the experience of attending her sister's wedding:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;In eleven days&rsquo; time I&rsquo;ll wake up early.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll read the Bible.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll remind myself just how much God loves me and how much Christ gave up for me and gave to me.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll remember that God has especially chosen me to be part of his bride &ndash; not because I&rsquo;m desirable, but just because he loves me.&nbsp; And then I&rsquo;ll talk to Him.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll think over the day in front of me, and I&rsquo;ll ask God to use one person I talk to to encourage me that day.&nbsp; And I&rsquo;ll ask him to use me to encourage one person as well &ndash; for an opportunity to speak the name of Jesus with a huge smile on my face.&nbsp; And you know what?&nbsp; I&rsquo;m pretty sure he&rsquo;ll answer!&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 04 Mar 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1907/(8) SINGLE: Why is everyone else getting married?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1904/
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic4.jpg" width="151" height="232" /></p>
<p>Chapter 8 is very moving to read as Rachel bears her soul.&nbsp; She begins confessing: <em>&ldquo;My sister is getting married in eleven days time&hellip;. Yet the truth is: I want it to be me.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t get me wrong &ndash; I love my sister and I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to celebrating with her&hellip; Of all the weddings I&rsquo;ve been to, this one will take me closest to seeing what the look on my father&rsquo;s face would be if he ever walks me down the aisle.&nbsp; And all the while I&rsquo;ll be knowing it isn&rsquo;t me; and all the while I&rsquo;ll be suspecting that it will never be&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She tells us who she's writing this chapter for - and basically we can all learn something from it:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s for you if you&rsquo;re single &ndash; whether it turns out to be just for now or for a lifetime (And maybe you know that it will almost certainly be a lifetime, because you&rsquo;re same-sex attracted and can&rsquo;t assume that marriage will ever be an option for you).&nbsp; But this chapter is also for you if you&rsquo;re dating, engaged or married.&nbsp; For one thing, you may well end up single again one day.&nbsp; And for another, whatever your relationship status, you&rsquo;ll definitely have single friends who need you to speak helpful truths to them, rather than thoughtless remarks, hurtful banter, or useless platitudes</em>&rdquo;</p>
<p>She puts into words the pain felt by many people when this subject is raised:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;You might already have read and heard a lot on singleness before.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve heard about the gift of singleness &ndash; and rolled your eyes at all the joke about it being the gift everyone wants to return.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve spoken to people who talk about being content with their singleness &ndash; but can&rsquo;t imagine that ever being you.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve thrown yourself into church or work or sports or whatever &ndash; but it hasn&rsquo;t helped with your loneliness.&nbsp; You know all the right answers &ndash; but answers don&rsquo;t give you the human touch that you crave&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She adapts the psychological &ldquo;Five stages of grief&rdquo; to put into words the experience of many Christians coming to terms with &ldquo;unwanted singleness&rdquo;:</p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>DENIAL:</strong> &ldquo;This cannot possibly be it. I&rsquo;ll find someone one day.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m only ___ years old.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve got loads of time&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>ANGER:</strong> &ldquo;Why would God withhold this from me? It&rsquo;s not fair.&nbsp; I would be a much better boy/girlfriend than him/her&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>BARGAINING:</strong> &ldquo;God, what do you want from me? I&rsquo;ve been serving loads in church, and reading my bible&hellip; Maybe if I was more ____, then that person would like me&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>DEPRESSION:</strong> &ldquo;No one wants me. I&rsquo;ll always be alone&rdquo;</em></li>
<li><em><strong>ACCEPTANCE:</strong> &ldquo;Maybe I won&rsquo;t ever get maybe. And maybe that&rsquo;s OK.&nbsp; And maybe it&rsquo;s even OK that it&rsquo;s OK&rdquo;</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Much of the chapter is a reflection on <strong>Lamentations 3:22-24: &ldquo;Because of the LORD&rsquo;s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.&nbsp; They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.&nbsp; I say to myself: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>Rachel draws two helpful lessons from this passage:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"First, if right now you&rsquo;re feeling unloved, unchosen, undesirable, know that God loves you greatly.&nbsp; He chose you to be part of his people and he wanted that enough to send his Son to save you from being consumed by the anger you&rsquo;re due.&nbsp; Secondly, the Lord&rsquo;s compassions are new every morning.&nbsp; That means that right now, you don&rsquo;t need to be ok with being single in 50 years time&hellip; Contentment with our singleness isn&rsquo;t a status that we arrive at and then bask in for the rest of our lives.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s something we depend on the Lord to give us each day&hellip; So here&rsquo;s the key question: is there a way to be OK with being single today?&nbsp; &hellip; Because if you can be OK being single today, you can be Ok being single tomorrow when it becomes today, and the day after that, and all the days that follow.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because God&rsquo;s compassions are new every morning &ndash; he will be tomorrow all that you need him to be&hellip;. God will prove himself faithful &ndash; day after day after day.</em></p>
<p>Then she reminds us of how Jesus practically meets the needs and longings of our heart for intimacy, through incorporating us into the church:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s only in Jesus that we will have our deepest aches and longings fulfilled completely.&nbsp; And all that&rsquo;s great&hellip; in theory.&nbsp; But it doesn&rsquo;t help you with your lust or your loneliness&hellip;. As one friend with rodent problem in her house told me: &lsquo;I get that Jesus is everything, but He&rsquo;s not here physically &ndash; it&rsquo;s a physical relationship that I crave more than anything else.&nbsp; Plus, Jesus can&rsquo;t empty my mouse traps&rsquo;. &hellip; Church is meant to be family &ndash; it&rsquo;s the place where we find brothers and sisters and parents and children and home&hellip;. You&rsquo;re part of the family of God &hellip; If you need someone to empty your mousetraps, you should be able to find that person in the church (Or buy a pair of gloves&hellip;) There ought to be no lonely people in God&rsquo;s family&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She also reframes the issue of our relationship status and gives us the bigger horizon of the gospel from which to view things:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Is there a way to be OK with being single today?&nbsp; Well there is.&nbsp; And yet the truth is contentment with our singleness isn&rsquo;t really the aim.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t need to seek to be more content with my singleness &ndash; not today, not on my sister&rsquo;s wedding day, not ever, really.&nbsp; Instead, I need to be more convinced that &lsquo;this world in its present form is passing away&rsquo; (1 Corinthians 7:31).&nbsp; I need to be so consumed with this coming reality that whether I&rsquo;m single or married just doesn&rsquo;t matter that much.&nbsp; I need to lift my eyes to a different horizon &ndash; beyond the what-ifs and if-onlys of the next few decades &ndash; to the awesome certainty that is thundering towards me.&nbsp; Because even the best Christian marriage is only ever a picture of what lies ahead for every Christian&hellip; It points to a time when the bride of Christ, the church, is brought to meet her groom and enjoy a truly permanent relationship of love and intimacy with him&hellip; On that wedding day in heaven, no Christian will feel like they&rsquo;ve missed out or have been left out&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Here's the beautiful ending to the chapter, as she shares how she will tackle the experience of attending her sister's wedding:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;In eleven days&rsquo; time I&rsquo;ll wake up early.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll read the Bible.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll remind myself just how much God loves me and how much Christ gave up for me and gave to me.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll remember that God has especially chosen me to be part of his bride &ndash; not because I&rsquo;m desirable, but just because he loves me.&nbsp; And then I&rsquo;ll talk to Him.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll think over the day in front of me, and I&rsquo;ll ask God to use one person I talk to to encourage me that day.&nbsp; And I&rsquo;ll ask him to use me to encourage one person as well &ndash; for an opportunity to speak the name of Jesus with a huge smile on my face.&nbsp; And you know what?&nbsp; I&rsquo;m pretty sure he&rsquo;ll answer!&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 04 Mar 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1904/(7) LONELY: Who are my friends anymore?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1903/
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic3.jpg" width="141" height="217" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In chapter 7, Rachel touches on the raw nerve that is our experience of friendships - or for some of us, our felt lack thereof.&nbsp; She is very candid in admitting this is one of her greatest "psychological hang-ups".&nbsp; Like her, I don't think I'm very good when it comes to friendship!&nbsp; Like her, I had a series of significant moves as a child which severed important friendships.&nbsp; Like her, I have lost contact with most of my university friends after they moved on and life got busier.&nbsp; However, just as God has always enjoyed the personal communion within the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; likewise, human beings made in His image have been made for community.&nbsp; Although friendship and community can be messy in this fallen world, one Christian counsellor entitled their book: "Relationships: A Mess Worth Making".</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">She begins with an important warning for this generation:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;The University of Pittsburgh found that people who use social media a lot experience more social isolation than those who use it fewer than ten times a week&hellip; Few things fuel my loneliness more than looking on social media at people I used to know with their other friends&rdquo;</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Much of the chapter is a meditation on Psalm 139 which tells us:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="text Ps-139-1">You have searched me, <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>,</span></strong><br /><strong><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-139-1">and you know me.</span></span></strong><br /><strong><span id="en-NIV-16242" class="text Ps-139-2">You know when I sit and when I rise;</span></strong><br /><strong><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="text Ps-139-2">you perceive my thoughts from afar.</span></span></strong><br /><strong><span id="en-NIV-16243" class="text Ps-139-3">You discern my going out and my lying down;</span></strong><br /><strong><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="text Ps-139-3">you are familiar with all my ways.</span></span></strong></p>
<p><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-139-3">She comments: </span></span><em>&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m searching for THE ONE [A BEST FRIEND] but this psalm brings me face to face with the One I&rsquo;m actually looking for.&nbsp; What we long for in a friend is most fulfilled when we find and truly experience relationship with God &ndash; a relationship that is deeper and more real than we have with anyone who we&rsquo;d put in the category of friend.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s because the Lord is a God who knows you.&nbsp; Often at the heart of loneliness is a desire to be known, wholly, and completely&hellip; No one knows the whole 360 degrees of my existence.&nbsp; Except, that is, God&hellip;. But in God we find what no friend would ever be- someone who is with us and fro us, in spite of knowing us completely.&nbsp; He looks at our darker parts and loves us anyway, instead of walking away in disappointment or disgust&hellip; God sticks with us through thick and thin.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s impossible to go long-distance with God&hellip;. God is there in those moments when we feel sublimely close to him.&nbsp; But he&rsquo;s equally there when we deliberately pull away from him&hellip; He&rsquo;s there even when our circumstances are so bleak that we&rsquo;ve lost all hope&rdquo;</em></p>
<p><em>She continues by drawing six pieces of "no nonsense practical advice" for growing in the realm of friendship:</em></p>
<ol>
<li>Quality, not quantity: <strong>&ldquo;One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother&rdquo;</strong> (Proverbs 18:24)</li>
<li>Invest where you are: <strong>&ldquo;Do not go to your relative&rsquo;s house when disaster strikes you &ndash; better a neighbour nearby than a relative far away&rdquo;</strong> (Proverbs 27:10) <em>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t just need Christian friends &hellip; you need Christian friends at your church, who you see once a week or more. They don&rsquo;t need to be like you &ndash; a similar age or stage or background &ndash; they just have to be neighbours: they just have to be nearby&rdquo;</em></li>
<li>Love at all times: <strong>&ldquo;A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity&rdquo;</strong> (Proverbs 17:17) &ldquo;</li>
<li>Forgive freely: <strong>&ldquo;Whoever would foster love covers over an offence, but whoever repeats the matter separates friends&rdquo;</strong> (Proverbs 17:9) <em>&ldquo;What you did or said hurt me, but I&rsquo;m going to bear the emotional cost and choose to keep loving you. I&rsquo;m not going to gossip about you or complain about you to other people&rdquo;</em></li>
<li>Speak grace: <strong>&ldquo;One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend&rdquo;</strong> (Proverbs 22:11) <em>&ldquo;Filling our conversations with words that are true, kind, gentle, joyful, grateful and loving&rdquo;</em></li>
<li>Be vulnerable<strong>: &ldquo;Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice&rdquo;</strong> (Proverbs 27:9) <em>&ldquo;Just say something honest about yourself: I&rsquo;m feeling&hellip; I&rsquo;m struggling with&hellip;.&rdquo;</em></li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Thu, 28 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1903/(6) DOUBT: Is God even real or am I wasting my life?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1902/
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic2.jpg" width="195" height="300" /></p>
<p>Half way through the book, Rachel turns to address a neglected issue: doubt.&nbsp; There are times in all our spiritual journeys when we begin to question: Is this real?&nbsp; Doubt is inescapable because part of the fallen human condition makes us sceptical and hostile towards God and His truth; our understanding is always limited by our finite human capacities; our sinful desires sometimes mean that consciously or unconsciously we would rather doubt than believe; our society confidently asserts that the only reality is the here/now world that we can access with our senses, so the idea of living by faith in an unseen reality is constantly undermined.&nbsp; So doubt is a complex fact for us all to grapple with.&nbsp; Rachel points out that we have to confront it: <em>&ldquo;Doubt is not an unimportant issue that can be swept under the rug, because at the heart of the Christian faith is not something you do, but something you believe.&nbsp; Jesus is clear that we do have to have faith in him in order to have eternal life.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Rachel grasps the nettle with both hands early on in the chapter:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;So how can you tell if you&rsquo;re a genuine Christian?&nbsp; Well, do you want to be one?&nbsp; Is there something you in (the Spiit{ that makes you want to speak to God as your Father?&nbsp; That&rsquo;s a strong start.&nbsp; Think back over the years you&rsquo;ve been following Jesus &ndash; has your life changed?&nbsp; Do you dislike sin, even if you still fall into it?&nbsp; Do you ask God for forgiveness?&nbsp; Do you wish that you loved others better?&nbsp; If the answer to those questions is a hesitant &lsquo;yes&rsquo; then let this truth reassure you: God has called you and he will not let you go&hellip;. <strong>Despite my wobbly faith and my faltering feelings, Jesus has got me and will not let me go.</strong></em></p>
<p>She goes on to explore how doubts are arrows in Satan's arsenal as he wages war against our souls:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"Our doubts are not morally neutral.&nbsp; Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been tempting God&rsquo;s people to disobey him by doubting his word&hellip; When we doubt, these are the lies the loves to whisper:</em></p>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: center;"><em>No other Christian feels like this</em></li>
<li style="text-align: center;"><em>You can&rsquo;t talk to God about this</em></li>
<li style="text-align: center;"><em>There&rsquo;s no answer to this</em></li>
<li style="text-align: center;"><em>Best to hit pause on your faith for a while: &ldquo;The way to keep following Jesus is to keep following Jesus &ndash; to put one foot in front of the other, day by day. Keep going to church, keep reading the Bible, keep seeking to speak of Jesus to others.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll get through this."</em></li>
</ol>
<p>She finishes the chapter retelling her experience of serving on a jury in a criminal trial.&nbsp; She recounts how after they reached their decision that the offender was guilty, she began to second guess and doubt herself: What if they had made a mistake.&nbsp; All those doubts faded away when the verdict was read out in court and the offender shrugged his shoulders - he was caught and he knew it.&nbsp; Applying this to our present experience wrestling with uncertainty, she concludes:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re living now in those moments before the verdict is delivered.&nbsp; We&rsquo;ve committed to the verdict that Jesus is Lord on the basis of good evidence &ndash; but sometimes we&rsquo;re plagued with uncertainty.&nbsp; What if we&rsquo;ve got it wrong?&nbsp;&nbsp; But don&rsquo;t worry.&nbsp; One day, when we come before the judge of the universe, doubt will become confidence.&nbsp; Everything that seems in question now will become blindingly obvious.&nbsp; All the uncertainty will disappear and clarity will descend.&nbsp; Of course God is real.&nbsp; Except that on that day you won&rsquo;t be in the jury; you&rsquo;ll be the accused&hellip;. The evidence of your sin will be stacked up against you &ndash; but Jesus will rise as your defence counsel and declare: They&rsquo;re one of mine.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve already paid for the crime.&nbsp; Look at the evidence of the nail marks in my hands&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 25 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1902/(5) I HATE MY JOB: I’ve got HOW long until I can retire?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1901/
<p>Rachel begins by telling the story of someone at a BBQ showing off a countdown clock on their phone &ndash; they had only another 368 months until retirement.&nbsp; She reflects on the strangeness that someone is in effect wishing away the next 30 years of their life. Although work is a glorious part of God&rsquo;s good Creation and a vital part of our being in the Image of God, there is no doubt that it has been corrupted and frustrated by the Fall.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Some 92000 hours of our lives will be spent working, so drawing on Colossians 3, she suggests 6 tips for a happier working life:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Do what you&rsquo;re told: &ldquo;obey your masters in everything&rdquo; (Colossians 3:22)</strong> &ndash; authority structures whether in a nation, or a church or a company, are a good thing in principle &ndash; even if in practice they are sometimes twisted to do great harm&hellip; unless or until obedience to your earthly master comes at the cost of your heavenly master, just do what you&rsquo;re told.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Be sincere: &ldquo;obey your earthly masters&hellip; not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart&rdquo; (Colossians 3:22)</strong> &ndash; to be the same person on the inside as the outside &ndash; we will work in the same way when our boss is in the room as we do when they are out of it. So when you&rsquo;re tempted to gossip or moan about someone at work &ndash; don&rsquo;t.&nbsp; When you find yourself rehearsing a long internal monologue of what you would like to say to your boss, don&rsquo;t.&nbsp; Remember that one of the best ways to grow in genuine love for people is to pray for them</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Fear God, not people: &ldquo;and with reverence for the Lord&rdquo; (Colossians 3:22)</strong> &ndash; with awe and respect that comes from knowing that he&rsquo;s the one in control of the universe and that ultimately it&rsquo;s his opinion that matters. If we fear God, not people, we won&rsquo;t work crazy long hours in an attempt to prove ourselves; we won&rsquo;t tell white lies to cover our tracks; we won&rsquo;t cave when we&rsquo;re under pressure to do something sinful; we&rsquo;ll be bold in sharing the gospel</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Try hard: &ldquo;whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters&rdquo; (Colossians 3:23) </strong>&ndash; Don&rsquo;t do the bare minimum. Don&rsquo;t cut corners.&nbsp; Actively look for ways to do your job better or make your organisation operate more effectively.&nbsp; Do everything you can to make your working environment&nbsp; a better place for others</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Work for a bonus that lasts: &ldquo;You know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving&rdquo; (Colossians 3:24) &ndash;</strong> Reality check: we earn more than 97% of other people on the planet&hellip; and more than that, I need to remember that God has something better in store&hellip; being God&rsquo;s chosen heir beats being employee of the month</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Remember justice is coming:</strong> <strong>&ldquo;Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism&rdquo; (Colossians 3:25)</strong> &ndash; Life is not fair. And while there is a place for taking grievances through official channels &ndash; especially where people have acted against us or against others in a way that is harmful or illegal &ndash; we&rsquo;ll sometimes find that justice is not done in the way that we want it to be.&nbsp; When that happens, we can take comfort in the fact that a day of perfect justice is coming.&nbsp; Your grievance may have been overlooked or brushed aside, but God saw it, and he cares about it.&nbsp; He promises that those who have wronged you will be repaid for their wrongs&hellip;. Don&rsquo;t carry around grudges and bitterness.&nbsp; These will only eat you up inside and make you more miserable.</li>
</ul>
<p>The chapter concludes:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how much your boss values you; but I know how much your Lord does&hellip;. Ultimately this is what matters.&nbsp; If you&rsquo;re a Christian, your employment status does not define you&hellip; Whether your job title is slave or master, intern or sales assistant, or doctor, or , or slave, call centre worker or structural engineer &ndash; in God&rsquo;s eyes you are the Lord&rsquo;s freed person.&nbsp; This is what gives us hope, even joy, on Monday mornings.&nbsp; However much you feel like you&rsquo;re floundering and however toxic the environment in your workplace is, you can walk in there with your head held high &ndash; and having worked hard and with integrity, you can leave again eight/ten/twelve hours later with your head held high still.&nbsp; You are the Lord&rsquo;s freed person&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Fri, 22 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1901/(4) NOSTALGIA & REGRET: Remember that time when… I wish I could forget…https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1899/
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic1.jpg" width="171" height="263" /></p>
<p>Here's some great insights from Rachel Jones' chapter 4 for those of us who find ourselves saying often: "Where has the last year gone?" - not helped by Facebook telling us each morning "On this day 5 years ago..." or Buzzfeed putting up articles "You know you were born in the 1980s if you recognise...".&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;The word nostalgia comes from two Greek words which nicely capture the pull of this emotion:</em> nostos<em>, meaning &lsquo;to return home,&rsquo; and </em>algos<em>, meaning &lsquo;pain&rsquo;&hellip; on the one hand there&rsquo;s warmth and fondness as we remember good times and happy season.&nbsp; But at the same time, there&rsquo;s a sadness that comes from knowing that those moments now exist only in our memory, and we&rsquo;ll never get them back again</em></p>
<p>Rachel perceives that underneath our reminiscing on the past, there are heart issues - specifically we struggle to relate well to the past, present and future:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Nostalgia says: I wish I could relive that time in my life.&nbsp; Regret says: I wish I could undo that time in my life.&nbsp; But the truth is, we can&rsquo;t do either&rdquo;</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"Sometimes our obsession with the past masks an uneasy relationship with our present and a fear about our future&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>These experiences and emotions are not foreign to the Bible.&nbsp; Instead, as we spend the first 6 months of this year in the post-exilic minor prophets, we are witnessing how God's people having returned to the Promised Land struggle with feeling of regret and nostaglia:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"As the old guard of Israelites stood in front of Zerubbabel&rsquo;s half-built temple and remembered days gone by, they wished they could relive them, and they wished they could undo then.&nbsp; Of course, just like us, they couldn&rsquo;t do either. But God didn&rsquo;t leave them there, stuck in a muddle of nostalgia and regret.&nbsp; He gave them words of comfort, hope and renewed purpose.&nbsp; He sent two prophets, Zechariah and Haggai&hellip; and both of them can help us have a better attitude to the past too."</em></p>
<p>Rachel draws a few helpful points from the ministry of these prophets:</p>
<ul>
<li>SMALL CAN BE BEAUTIFUL: <strong>"Who dares despise the day of small things, since even the eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel" (Zechariah 4:8-10).&nbsp;</strong><em> "The problem with pining for the past is that we risk missing what God&rsquo;s doing in the present&hellip; Perhaps you feel like you&rsquo;re living in a day of small things too, and you wish you could go back to a time when things were bigger&hellip;. Small spiritually &hellip;. Small relationally&hellip; small physically&hellip;. While admitting what is small now, we need to be careful not to despite it &ndash; to do it down or wish it away or resent it.&nbsp; God is still at work in the day of small things&hellip;.. Here&rsquo;s the brilliant truth: we don&rsquo;t have to do big things to impress God.&nbsp; He&rsquo;s not so high and mighty that he&rsquo;s above our small things &ndash; instead he works through them.&nbsp; And it makes God happy when we faithfully stick at his work, no matter how limp it looks in comparison to what&rsquo;s gone before&hellip; If God is rejoicing, there&rsquo;s no room or reason for you to be resentful&rdquo;</em></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>GET ON BOARD: <strong>"Be strong, all you people of the land and work.&nbsp; For I am with you" (Haggai 2:3).&nbsp;</strong> <em>"God doesn&rsquo;t just challenge how we think about the past and the present; through Haggai, he tells us that he transforms what we do in the present too&hellip;. So stop living in the past, and look for the people you can love and the good works you can do in the present.&nbsp; Be strong and work&rdquo;</em></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>THE BEST IS NOT BEHIND YOU, IT IS IN FRONT OF YOU:<strong> "In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth" (Haggai 2:6)</strong><em> &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what it is that&rsquo;s not working in your life right now &ndash; the things which make you want to go back to a happier, easier era.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t know what you wish you could go back in time to change.&nbsp; But I do know that whatever&rsquo;s behind you, if you&rsquo;re a Christian &ndash; if you&rsquo;ve been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb &ndash; then this is the future that awaits you on the other side of the grave.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s a future where you will enjoy being sheltered by God&rsquo;s presence, completely safe and free from fear.&nbsp; A future without any material or physical need&hellip; A future where the painful memories and fraught &lsquo;if onlys&rsquo; all fade as God himself wipes away your tears of regret.&nbsp; This is a time worth longing for.&nbsp; And it lies ahead of you, not behind.&rdquo;</em></li>
</ul>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Wed, 20 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1899/Women's Ministry at Carrubbershttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1898/
<p>The Women's Ministry Team at Carrubbers oversee women's ministry and Women in ministry in Carrubbers under the delegated authority of the elders. We aim to do this in many ways; supporting Karen in her role as Pastoral Assistant for Women, supporting the elders in their responsibility for pastoral care, encouraging and facilitating One to One discipleship and taking a lead role in the flagship women's bible teaching ministry - Women to Women.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/WMT_2019.jpg" /></p>
<p>The Women to Women ministry comprises of both Evening and Daytime groups all studying Gods word together, encouraing teaching and bible handling gifts, and praying for one another</p>
<p>The women currently serving in a variety of roles, leading groups, serving, writing studies and teaching include:</p>
<p><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/w2w_BS_team_20191.jpg" width="694" height="391" /></p>
karen.clark@carrubbers.org (karen clark)Tue, 19 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1898/(3) ROOTLESS: Can I go home now?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1896/
<p>I've long been fascinated with G.K. Chesterton's observation: <em>"Some men are homesick in their own homes"</em> - because I feel it deep in my soul!&nbsp; I read the last chapter of C.S. Lewis' The Chronciles of Narnia and tear up, because I too have spent my whole life looking for <em>"my true country"</em>.&nbsp; Rachel Jones explores that feeling in chapter 3...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/Rachel_Jones_-_Is_This_It_Graphic.jpg" width="196" height="301" /></p>
<p>We hear a lot today about how difficult it is to "get onto the housing ladder" and the incredible expense of saving up to afford a deposit on your "first home".&nbsp; The millennial generation are half as likely to be home owners by age 30 than their parent's generation.&nbsp; Renting is the new buying.</p>
<p>Rachel comments on two related experiences that are familiar to many of us:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;To be honest, it&rsquo;s not a house I long for; it&rsquo;s home &ndash; which is why I still get homesick&hellip; My problem is that often when I go home, I find it&rsquo;s not quite what I was missing after all."</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"I suspect that wherever we&rsquo;re living &ndash; even if we&rsquo;re homeowners &ndash; we share a sense that life will get good once we&rsquo;re Somewhere Else&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>I love how she connects this deep experience of our hearts with the good news of the gospel.&nbsp; In Luke 9:57-58 we are told:<span class="text Luke-9-57"> <strong>As the disciples were walking along the road, a man said to Jesus, &ldquo;I will follow you wherever you go.&rdquo;</strong></span><strong><span id="en-NIV-25360" class="text Luke-9-58"> Jesus replied, <span class="woj">&ldquo;Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.&rdquo;&nbsp; </span></span></strong><span id="en-NIV-25360" class="text Luke-9-58"><span class="woj">She comments:</span></span><strong><span id="en-NIV-25360" class="text Luke-9-58"><span class="woj"><br /></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Jesus lived a life of radical rootlessness&hellip; He&rsquo;s not just renting &ndash; he&rsquo;s sofa surfing.&nbsp; Jesus wasn&rsquo;t having an existential crisis, or even a financial one.&nbsp; His radical rootlessness was all part of his mission to proclaim the kingdom of God &ndash; the good news that anyone can enjoy life with Him, now and eternally, by repenting of their sin and believing in Him.&nbsp; Subjects of this kingdom become &lsquo;foreigners and exiles&rsquo; in this world, as they follow their King down his road of radical rootlessness.&nbsp; The King&rsquo;s road is a road with a destination: home.&nbsp; Jesus describes heaven as His &lsquo;Father&rsquo;s house [with] many rooms&rsquo; &hellip;. This home is safe and permanent &ndash; there&rsquo;ll be no rogue landlord or dodgy neighbours.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s where our family is &ndash; a multitude of perfected brothers and sisters to celebrate with.&nbsp; Best of all, waiting eagerly at the door to welcome us in is Jesus Himself.&nbsp; He&rsquo;s the One who left his home in heaven, lived the life of a roaming preacher and died the death of a social outcast to bring us home.&nbsp; Now he&rsquo;s standing at heaven&rsquo;s door, ready to embrace us and say: &lsquo;WELCOME HOME&rsquo;.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s not wrong to long for home &ndash; this rootless feeling can be genuinely painful.&nbsp; But when we feel that way, it&rsquo;s an opportunity to set our hearts not on a 40 year mortgage but on the home with Jesus that we were made for.&nbsp; If we feel as if we&rsquo;re floating through life with little to tether us down, we can rejoice that the swirl of the currents will eventually wash us up on eternity&rsquo;s shore.&nbsp; Home, at last&hellip;. Home is not here, it is ahead of us&hellip; and for which the asking price has already been paid in full&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Knowing about the homeward bound destination of our lives also changes how we tackle the sense of homelessness along the journey:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Just as heaven is described as God&rsquo;s house in the Bible, the church is described as God&rsquo;s household &ndash; an extension of that family gathering in eternity: &lsquo;Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God&rsquo;s people and also members of His household&rsquo; (Ephesians 2:19)&hellip;. Home is where God&rsquo;s people are.&nbsp; That means that the right thing to do &ndash; and not only that, the most fulfilling thing to do &ndash; will be to invest here, rather than always wishing I was somewhere else&hellip; So put down some roots in church.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll find your life is much healthier for it&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She finishes by addressing the objection: What if church doesn&rsquo;t feel like home?&nbsp; She gives this tried and tested advice, drawn from Romans 12:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t pull back: dig in.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s as we do church that we feel church&hellip;&nbsp; GO&hellip;. SERVE&hellip; WAIT&hellip;. PRAY&hellip; SHARE&hellip; Real relationships take time&hellip;. They grow as we rejoice together over life&rsquo;s victories, as we cling together to the gospel when there&rsquo;s little else to find hope in, and as we mourn together in the face of suffering and loss.&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Thu, 14 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1896/(2) PARALYSED: What should I do with my life?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1895/
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/76513ce883a680f5f4d5b48e4244ca001.jpg" width="179" height="275" /></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live... like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. &nbsp;But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, &nbsp;made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions&mdash;it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, &nbsp;in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. &nbsp;For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith&mdash;and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God&mdash; &nbsp;not by works, so that no one can boast. &nbsp;For we are God&rsquo;s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:1-10)<br /></strong></p>
<p>In the second chapter Rachel explores the <em>"paralysis of adulting".</em>&nbsp; Many of us know what it feels like to be spinning your wheels, but going nowhere.&nbsp; The paradox of choice is that it can lead to paralysis - because we're not sure what we really want or which risks are really worth taking.&nbsp; We try to keep our options open or try to do everything - but end up not accomplishing anything meaningful.&nbsp; Here's some helpful extracts to help the paralysed among us to rise, take up our beds and walk with the Lord Jesus!</p>
<p>Rachel rightly challenges the dominant story in our western culture, which treats life like a Make Your Own Adventure book.&nbsp; Instead, we need to find our place in God's story for the world:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Western culture tells me that my life is an exciting journey to an as-yet-undecided-but-probably-awesome destination.&nbsp; But the picture of my journey in [Ephesians 2] is much more unnerving. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s more like I&rsquo;ve cut the brakes on my own car, and now I&rsquo;m racing down hill towards a certain &ndash; and painful &ndash; collision with God&rsquo;s righteous anger&hellip; If you&rsquo;re a Christian, it is because God has reached down and intervened to stop the car crash&hellip; If you are following Christ, then, by God&rsquo;s grace, you&rsquo;ve already made the most important decision of your life.&nbsp; Compared to that one, the others are just details&hellip; We&rsquo;re part of a story that is building to a climax where Jesus is glorified forever.&nbsp; Your existence is not one of aimless drifting &ndash; you&rsquo;ve got a destination.&nbsp; Where you&rsquo;ll be in 50 years&rsquo; time is uncertain.&nbsp; Where you&rsquo;ll be in 500 years is not.&nbsp; This is not for maybe; this is for sure... In this sense, life can&rsquo;t go wrong.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Some of us struggle when we feel that we're not in control - but Rachel encourages us to make peace with the fact that the Lord Jesus is in control:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Our culture says that if we just work hard enough or believe in ourselves enough, we can make what we want to happen, happen.&nbsp; But maybe you&rsquo;ve learned the hard way that that&rsquo;s simply not true.&nbsp; There are some things that are outside of our control.&nbsp; These verses remind us what kind of person is in control: it is the God who has &ldquo;great love for us&rdquo; (v.4), who is &ldquo;rich in mercy&rdquo; (v.4) and &ldquo;grace&rdquo; (v.7), all of which are shown mostly clearly and compellingly in his extraordinary &ldquo;kindness to us in Christ Jesus&rdquo;.&nbsp; He might not take you on quite the route that you would plan, but He has intervened to set you on course to the only destination worth heading to.</em></p>
<p>Celebrating these realities, which give direction and destination to our lives, can help us take decisions that involve a cost or uncertainty:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Life in Christ frees us to take risks.&nbsp; The Christian answer to the question: &lsquo;What if I do this thing and then it doesn&rsquo;t work out or I don&rsquo;t like it?&rsquo; is &lsquo;Well, if you do, and then it doesn&rsquo;t or you don&rsquo;t, you&rsquo;ll still be alive with Christ&rsquo;.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ll still have the thing that makes life now worth living &ndash; as well as the ticket to the only future destination worth heading for&hellip;. Life may not always go the way you want.&nbsp; Decisions may not always work out the way you hoped.&nbsp; And that&rsquo;s ok.&nbsp; Because you know the destination, and you know the driver.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s Christ and it&rsquo;s Christ.&nbsp; And that&rsquo;s worth getting excited about.&nbsp; Take the job; don&rsquo;t take the job.&nbsp; Go on the date; don&rsquo;t go on the date. &nbsp;Look for somewhere else to live; don&rsquo;t look for somewhere else to live.&nbsp; But whatever else you do, do the only thing that can make you feel truly alive: do life with Christ&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>She finishes the chapter with refreshing advice on how to make decisions:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Thinking about &lsquo;God&rsquo;s plan for your life&rsquo; is guaranteed to give us a headache&hellip; It&rsquo;s not that God&rsquo;s holding the treasure map and we have to guess the rote to the X that marks the spot.&nbsp; More of than not, it&rsquo;s only in hindsight that we can trace God&rsquo;s hand as we look back over the the journey.&nbsp; The application of Ephesians 2:10 &ldquo;do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do&rdquo; &ndash; is not to do a specific set of good works that we have to locate, but to just &lsquo;do good works&rsquo; as they come into our path&hellip; If we're doing good works, it's impossible to be doing the 'wrong' ones.&nbsp; God has prepared good works for you to do in the next 50 years.&nbsp; There are the big ones &ndash; perhaps a spouse for you to cherish, children for you to raise, parents for you to care for, vulnerable people for you to help, friends for you to call into his kingdom.&nbsp; There are solutions for you to dream up, and dreams for you to implement.&nbsp; And God has prepared good works for you to do today.&nbsp; There are messes for you to tidy and meals for you to cook.&nbsp; There are church friends for you to encourage, and neighbours for you to pray for, and work to do diligently.&nbsp; Some good works will be easy; others will be costly.. But each one is prepared specifically for you by your Saviour.&nbsp; That is reason enough to get out of bed in the morning, on each and every morning the Lord gives you.&rdquo;</em></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 11 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1895/(1) DISSATISFIED: Has everyone else got it better than me?https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1894/
<p style="text-align: center;">In her latest book, "Is This It?", Rachel Jones addresses some of the nagging doubts and challenges that can be summed up in my phrase: "adult life is over-rated" or her term: "quarter life crisis".&nbsp; These blogs will skim through the book...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2019/02/76513ce883a680f5f4d5b48e4244ca00.jpg" width="195" height="299" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In the first chapter she tells the story of a friend who went travelling in New Zealand for a year, hoping to catch a glimpse of her favourite creature: whales in the South Sea.&nbsp; She returned disappointed!&nbsp; That was a parable of her whole experience in New Zealand where she wasn't really looking for whales but for SATISFACTION!&nbsp; We're all looking for it - that search is what we invest much of our precious time, money and energy into pursuing.&nbsp; Yet we all know that contentment remains strangely elusive and out of reach.&nbsp; Rachel warns that this <em>"discontentment has an even uglier cousin called envy: wanting not just what other people have; but what we think we should have already".</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">What is the answer?&nbsp; Well Paul this is also the thing that Paul was searching for and striving to attain - and he finally found it and learned it (not just "in theory" but "in practice") in the Lord Jesus.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me"(Philippians 4:11-13)</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Rachel points out: <em>&ldquo;Jesus is not playing hard to get&hellip; He&rsquo;s not waiting for us to pull our socks off and try a little harder.&nbsp; We already have Him.&nbsp; And Christian, He is wonderful!&rdquo;&nbsp;</em> That's what Paul learned:</p>
<p style="text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;"><strong>"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21)... "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatans 2:20).</strong></p>
<p>She concludes: <em>&ldquo;Paul is satisfied because, live or die, he has what satisfies &ndash; He who satisfies.&nbsp; Paul believes he&rsquo;s has hit the jackpot... Paul says it&rsquo;s impossible to miss out.&nbsp; We&rsquo;re locked into a guaranteed win-win equation: to live is Christ and to die is gain&rdquo;.</em></p>
<p>That is the key that unlocks satisfaction - learning that is the secret to contentment.</p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Thu, 07 Feb 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1894/The Haggai Manifestohttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1891/
<p>Last night we finish our month long vision series: "Haggai: The Renewal of the Church and Re-Evangelisation of Scotland".&nbsp; Let&rsquo;s be honest: there are tremendous challenges facing the church in Scotland and the western world today.&nbsp; Listen to the summary of John Stevens &ndash; former leader of the FIEC in the UK:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;The best statistics suggest that little more than 3% of the population as a whole are born-again believers who are meaningfully associated with a local church. Bible-believing Christians are a tiny minority in a mass of unbelief, vague spirituality, or other religious identity. It&nbsp; is&nbsp; therefore&nbsp; unsurprising&nbsp; that&nbsp; the&nbsp; culture&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; UK&nbsp; is&nbsp; fundamentally&nbsp; secular,&nbsp; and increasingly&nbsp; so.&nbsp; This&nbsp; is&nbsp; reflected&nbsp; in&nbsp; political&nbsp; and&nbsp; intellectual&nbsp; life,&nbsp; and&nbsp; above&nbsp; all in&nbsp; the&nbsp; all dominant&nbsp; media&nbsp; which &nbsp;reflects&nbsp; a&nbsp; consistently&nbsp; negative&nbsp; attitude&nbsp; towards&nbsp; Christian&nbsp; belief, ranging from outright hostility to apparently benign disinterest. Most people live as pagans precisely because they are pagans, and they live in practical ignorance of the claims of the Christian faith. A younger generation may have had very little exposure to church or genuine Christian faith.&nbsp; The prevailing ideologies are individualism, hedonism,&nbsp; and&nbsp; libertarianism.&nbsp; They&nbsp; are&nbsp; rooted&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; philosophies&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Enlightenment,&nbsp; refined&nbsp; by&nbsp; nihilism,&nbsp; scientific naturalism and postmodernism, and have eclipsed the once-dominant grip of Christianity. It should&nbsp; not&nbsp; surprise&nbsp; us&nbsp; that&nbsp; the&nbsp; wider&nbsp; culture&nbsp; has&nbsp; largely&nbsp; abandoned&nbsp; biblical&nbsp; standards&nbsp; of sexual&nbsp; morality,&nbsp; nor&nbsp; that&nbsp; marriage&nbsp; has&nbsp; been&nbsp; redefined&nbsp; so&nbsp; as&nbsp; to&nbsp; encompass&nbsp; same-sex relationships.&nbsp; These&nbsp; are&nbsp; simply&nbsp; the&nbsp; praxis&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; dominant&nbsp; philosophies,&nbsp; under&nbsp; which&nbsp; the only constraint on behaviour is that is that it does not harm others against their will. Churches form a relatively&nbsp; isolated subculture within society as a whole, and a very large number of ministers and congregations have simply failed to grasp the extent to which the culture around them has changed, and how marginal they have become to the political, cultural and philosophical life of the nation. The&nbsp; vast&nbsp; majority,&nbsp; particularly&nbsp; the&nbsp; younger&nbsp; generations,&nbsp; have&nbsp; little intellectual&nbsp; or&nbsp; experiential&nbsp; knowledge&nbsp; of&nbsp; Christianity&nbsp; and&nbsp; its&nbsp; basic&nbsp; beliefs.&nbsp; They think that they know enough about Christianity to dismiss it as implausible, irrelevant or intolerant, and therefore have no interest in finding out more about it, as they regard this as unnecessary. The average person is much further back in their understanding than they were even a generation ago, and therefore models of evangelism that have worked in previous generations no longer have the same effectiveness&rdquo; (John Stevens: Knowing the Times&rdquo;)</em></p>
<p>In light of these challenges, we need to hear Haggai&rsquo;s reassurance that none of these things can hinder Jesus!</p>
<p>That&rsquo;s also the message of Os Guinness&rsquo; important book: <em>&ldquo;Renaissance: The Power Of The Gospel However Dark The Times&rdquo;</em>.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;He begins asking this timely question:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Can the Christian church in the advanced modern world be renewed and restored even now and be sufficiently changed to have a hope of again changing the world [SCOTLAND] through the power of the gospel?&rdquo;</em>&nbsp;</p>
<p>How would you answer: are you optimistic or pessimistic about the renewal of the church and re-evangelisation of the nation?&nbsp; Os Guinness encourages us to be realistically optimistic when he writes:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;Yes, we can, because God can &ndash; and He has in the past, and He is doing so elsewhere in the world today, and He is able to do so again, even here in the advanced modern world [SCOTLAND], because God is God and His is the last word in human affairs.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Helpfully he traces how twice before in history the West has been won for Christ and then lost &ndash; first in the 4<sup>th</sup> century with the collapse of the Roman Empire and secondly in the 20<sup>th</sup> century with the twilight of Christendom.&nbsp; So the question is: how can Scotland and Europe be won for Christ a third time?&nbsp; Well Guinness rightly warns it won&rsquo;t be through marketing techniques, business strategies, culture wars, or political campaigns &ndash; rather it will be through Christians living and witnessing in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ &ndash; as individuals and in community.</p>
<p><strong>That&rsquo;s the dream, but when the rubber hits the road, what will that actually involve?</strong><strong>&nbsp; </strong>Well church history tells us that these two earlier missions in the West were successful because Christians: <strong>out-thought, out-lived, out-died, and out-prayed</strong> the world.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s what we can and must do again!&nbsp; Let&rsquo;s briefly look at each of them&hellip;</p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>OUT-THINKING THE WORLD</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>In the 1st century the Christian church was born into a pagan majority world that resembled a sweetshop filled with different religions, spiritualities and philosophies that people could pic&rsquo;n&rsquo;mix.&nbsp; In such a hostile climate, Christian apologists rose up to defend the truth of the Christian story and to make the case for the superiority of the Biblical worldview.&nbsp; They brought Christian truth into the highest places of learning and culture making, from where they flowed out into the rest of society. History shows how many of the greatest thinkers who have contributed to social and scientific progress have been Christians steeped in the Bible.</p>
<p>But today Christian influence upon our culture is in decline, because there are fewer Christians.&nbsp; Into that vacuum the atheistic ideas of evolutionary naturalism and secular humanism have waged a war to discredit the Bible as God&rsquo;s true Word.&nbsp; The radical ideologies of cultural marxism and social constructionism are reshaping our society in ways contrary to God&rsquo;s good design.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Such godless ideas matter - a century ago Gresham Machen warned<em>: </em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>"false ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel.&nbsp; We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here or there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of&nbsp;the world to be controlled by ideas which prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion".</em></p>
<p>If we are going to OUT-THINK the world again, then we need to retrace the steps of the apostle Paul: <strong>&ldquo;We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 10:5), </strong>and the apostle Peter:<strong> &ldquo;Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you&rdquo; (1 Peter 3:15).&nbsp; </strong></p>
<p>If that sounds daunting to you, then I&rsquo;ll let you into a secret: I&rsquo;m constantly thankful that there are far smarter Christians out there who have done the heavy lifting for us!&nbsp; Today we are blessed to have great cultural analysts and Christian apologists like Tim Keller, Ravi Zacharias, Amy Orr-Ewing, and David Robertson.&nbsp; In a world of blogs, podcasts, youtube videos and kindle ebooks it has never been easier to absorb the insights of these great Christian thinkers.&nbsp; They will help us be confident that the gospel is the better and truer story!</p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>OUT-LIVING / OUT-LOVING THE WORLD</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>In a time when biblical truth is regarded as dangerous and life-denying, we need to show people with our lives that it is desirable and life-giving.</p>
<p>We are called to be whole-life disciples of Jesus &ndash; not dividing who we are in church on Sunday from who we are at home, at school, at university, at work, or at play for the rest of the week.&nbsp; In all areas of our lives and everywhere we go in society we want to show that Jesus is Lord &ndash; as we work for all that is good, right, just, true and beautiful. &nbsp;It should be the case that Christians are known for what we are for, and not just what we oppose. To that end Jesus exhorts us: <strong>&ldquo;let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven&rdquo; (Matthew 5:16). </strong>&nbsp;And Paul encourages us to: <strong>&ldquo;in everything adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour&rdquo; (Titus 2:10).</strong></p>
<p>Across the centuries, the counter-cultural lives of Christians has made a huge impact on the watching world.&nbsp; For example, listen to this extract from the 2<sup>nd</sup> century Letter to Diognetus about Christians:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>&ldquo;They marry, as do others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all&hellip;They are poor, yet make many rich&hellip; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>That&rsquo;s what the life and love of Jesus lived out in community looks like.&nbsp; Wouldn&rsquo;t that be an incredible reputation for the people of this church to have in our city?&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>OUT-DYING THE WORLD</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The word &ldquo;martyr&rdquo; &ndash; literally means witness.&nbsp; Across the centuries, Christians have been willing to suffer and die, rather than deny Jesus.&nbsp; That ultimate sacrifice has been a powerful witness about the reality of the hope found in the gospel.&nbsp; For example in the 2<sup>nd</sup> century there was an African man named Tertullian.&nbsp; He started off a sceptic but was converted after witnessing the courage of Christians through into the public arenas to be killed by gladiators and wild beasts.&nbsp; Later he wrote <em>&ldquo;Every man who sees it, is moved with some misgiving, and is set on fire to learn the reason&hellip; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church&rdquo;. </em>&nbsp;Seeing Christians put their money where the mouth is, trusting in their risen Saviour to the point of death, was a powerful witness.</p>
<p>Around the world today, millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering for their faith in Jesus.&nbsp; They are holding onto Jesus&rsquo; promise: <strong>&ldquo;Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you before of Me.&nbsp; Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven&rdquo; (Matthew 5:11-12).&nbsp; </strong>And it&rsquo;s no coincidence that in these hard places that the church is growing!</p>
<p>Here in the West, we&rsquo;re not yet being persecuted &ndash; and although things are becoming more uncomfortable that might not be a bad thing for the health of the church!&nbsp; However, we need to remember that we follow a suffering Saviour.&nbsp; That means we must resist the temptation to chase after the approval of the world, or the temptation to compromise on God&rsquo;s Word just to keep up with the latest opinion polls.&nbsp; Likewise, we must resist the temptation to seek &ldquo;victim status&rdquo; or to play the &ldquo;victim card&rdquo;.&nbsp; Rather we must live faithfully for Jesus and ask for His help to face whatever consequences such allegiance might bring.&nbsp; That in itself will be a powerful witness for Christ!</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>OUT-PRAYING THE WORLD</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>We must never forget that we are engaged in a spiritual battle.&nbsp; In Haggai&rsquo;s day that spiritual battle revolved around a building project; today it rages in the universities, in the schools, in the parliaments, in the courts, in the media, in the arts&hellip; in our families, in our friendships, in our workplaces, in our neighbours.&nbsp; Haggai&rsquo;s contemporary was the prophet Zechariah who told Zerubbabel about the weapons of this spiritual war:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>&ldquo;This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: <u>Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit</u>, says the LORD of hosts&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>Likewise, today our best weapon for this spiritual war is prayer.&nbsp; Paul says:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>&ldquo;For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.</strong><strong> <sup>&nbsp;</sup>Therefore put on the full armour of God &hellip; And pray in the Spirit on all occasions&rdquo; (Ephesians 6:12-13,18)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Only God can open blind eyes and open deaf ears to respond to the gospel &ndash; so we need to pray</li>
<li>Only God can bring down the strongholds of unbelief in our culture &ndash; so we need to pray</li>
<li>Only God who can depose and dethrone the idols that have captured peoples&rsquo; hearts&ndash; so we need to pray</li>
<li>Only God can defeat the deceitful schemes of the devil &ndash; so we need to pray</li>
<li>Only God can renew the church in Scotland and bless our efforts to re-evangelise the nation of Scotland &ndash; so we need to pray!</li>
</ul>
<p><em>&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>In conclusion: our dream as a church is to see LIVES TRANSFORMED BY THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS in Edinburgh, Scotland and the world!&nbsp; The dream can become a realitiy as we THINK for Christ&hellip; LIVE &amp; LOVE for Christ&hellip; SUFFER for CHRIST&hellip; and PRAY to CHRIST.</p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 28 Jan 2019 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1891/W2W blog: Reset Retreat 4th Januaryhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1884/
<p><strong>Reset Retreat&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><em>we'd love to invite you along ...</em></p>
<p>FRIDAY 4TH JANUARY 2019 @ CCC -&nbsp;7pm for 7.32</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Our heads tend to spin at this time of year as we rattle through responsibilities and delights. &nbsp;2018 with all its drama is closing as we get set for the many expectations of another one! &nbsp;But before we jump in, there is a pretty special chance to begin 2019 with a bit of intention...</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>At significant points in their Sinai peninsula wanderings, the Hebrew people set up camp. &nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;<img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/12/reset.jpg" /></p>
<p>They stopped trekking. &nbsp;</p>
<p>They paused from pressing on to the next thing. &nbsp;</p>
<p>They washed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Ate. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Sacrificed. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Worshipped.&nbsp;</p>
<p>They pondered the mystery and majesty of the Holy One they followed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>They focused on a central tent and on the rhythm of their lives, represented there.</p>
<p>They were reset.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/12/resest.jpg" /></p>
<p>On 4th January at 7pm (for 7.32 pm start&nbsp;&hellip; coz it might stick in our heads better!) we are going to do likewise. The lower part of Carrubbers is being transformed into that central tent, the tabernacle. We will take time on our own to walk though each section of the tabernacle. &nbsp;To focus on connection with the Holy One we follow. &nbsp;To pause. &nbsp;And breathe. &nbsp;To give Him a chance to finish his sentences! &nbsp;To reset our hearts.</p>
<p>Am a little bit excited at this!</p>
<p>PS &nbsp;Just so you have a little bit of extra confidence, this has been run a number of times in different settings before. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s been hugely beneficial for those who&rsquo;ve engaged with it. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s a little bit exciting too!!!</p>
karen.clark@carrubbers.org (karen clark)Wed, 12 Dec 2018 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1884/Psalm 98. Post sermon application thoughtshttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1878/
<p><strong>Psalm 98. Praying to enjoy God.</strong></p>
<p>Sitting this morning, reflecting on Sunday night and our encouraging evangelism seminar last Thursday night has led me to ponder some post preaching application thoughts.</p>
<p>Last night we prayed for one missionary family and last Thursday we thought about our personal witness. Psalm 98 took us on a journey, to glorifying God and enjoying God forever.</p>
<p>On reflection, this journey to enjoying God could include: singing in prayer [ Psalm 98:1]; being more proactive in praying for the nations [ Revelation 21:24,26] our missionaries are working in and appreciating more, that speaking to others about Jesus could be an encouragement to the soul. [John 4:34]</p>
<p><strong>A quick recap and some new thoughts for you to apply the word.</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><strong> Psalm 98:1-3 Praying to enjoy God...</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>... can include, singing. (v1)</p>
<p>... should include, acknowledging who God is and what he has done and is doing. (v2-3)</p>
<p>He is righteous.</p>
<p>He is working out his salvation, through Jesus our perfect sacrifice for sin and through the perfect Holy spirit who glorifies Jesus [John 16:14] and brings about Christ centred transformation to the soul. [2 Corinthians 3:18] &nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Application. Take time to pray for your own soul and speak or sing to your own soul, using v1-3</strong></p>
<ol start="2">
<li><strong> Psalm98:4-6 Praying to enjoy God...</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>... can include, praying for and summoning the nations.</p>
<p>... should include, acknowledging that God is the ruling King. (v6)</p>
<p><strong>Application. Take time to pray for and summon the nations using v4-6. Spend some time considering how you are personally involved in summoning the nations as you pray for our missionaries.</strong></p>
<ol start="3">
<li><strong> Psalm 98:7-9 Praying to enjoy God...</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>... can include praying for and summoning every person in the world. (v7)</p>
<p>... should include, acknowledging that God is the word speaking Judge. (v9; Heb.4:12-13)</p>
<p><strong>Application. Take time to consider how you can pray for and summon every person in the world beginning by thinking about your own personal witness as Christmas approaches again this year.</strong></p>David.Anderson@carrubbers.org (David Anderson)Mon, 05 Nov 2018 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1878/Relive The City Vision Prayer Meetinghttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1875/
<p><em>Last night we had a wonderful evening tracing what the Bible has to say about the City as well as praying, dreaming and discussing about future direction our city ministry could take after the cafe ministry ends on November 30th 2018.&nbsp; If you weren't able to make it, but want fuel to pray or an opportunity to contribute suggestions - then you can relive the evening and working through the prayer material below.&nbsp; If you have any suggestions or contributions, please just reply to this e-mail or contact David.Nixon@carrubbers.org</em></p>
<p><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181030_2042072391.jpg" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p>
<p>Have you come across the Edinburgh City 2050 Vision project?&nbsp; People across the city are being asked to dream about what the city could be like in 30 years time, as they complete this sentence: &ldquo;In 2050 my Edinburgh will be&hellip;&rdquo;. </p>
<p>As Christians we believe that Jesus has bigger and better dreams for the future of this city and its citizens.&nbsp; We as a church want to play our unique part in the mission of God in Edinburgh - as we pray <strong>&ldquo;Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done &ndash; On Earth [In Edinburgh] as it is in heaven&rdquo; </strong>and ask God to align us with His heart and purposes as we <strong>&ldquo;seek first His kingdom and His righteous ways&rdquo;.</strong>&nbsp; That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re here tonight.</p>
<p>The theme of city is an important thread that runs throughout the Bible. The Bible begins in <strong>Genesis 1-2</strong> with God&rsquo;s work of creation and climaxes with human beings living with God in a beautiful Garden, given the commission to cultivate and develop its potentials for the glory of God.&nbsp; The Bible finishes in <strong>Revelation 21-22</strong> with God&rsquo;s work of new creation, with redeemed humans living with God in a beautiful Garden-City, which has been prepared by Jesus for His people.&nbsp; In between, there runs a thread of the conflict between the City of Sin and the City of God:</p>
<ul>
<li>Wanderers built the first city as a place for safety and from there began developing human culture, creativity, industry, etc. (Genesis 4)</li>
<li>Rebels built the city of Babel with its sinful intent to &ldquo;make a name for themselves&rdquo; &ndash; glorying in man&rsquo;s autonomy without need for God (Genesis 11). Later, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are infamous for becoming places of extreme immorality, injustice and inhumanity, which fall under God&rsquo;s judgement (Genesis 18).</li>
<li>Israel were called to be city builders and rebuilders. God chose the city of Jerusalem on the hill of zion to be the place where He would place his name in his temple &ndash; a shining beacon in the midst of a world of darkness.</li>
<li>After Jerusalem was destroyed and its people deported in the exile, Israel were called to be city lovers in Babylon: &ldquo;Seek the peace/shalom and prosperity of the city to which I have sent you&rdquo; (Jeremiah 29). They were to be an outpost of Jerusalem (the city of shalom/peace) as we lived and worked for the common good of people in the city of Babylon.</li>
<li>In the New Testament, Christians were missionaries to the city. Jerusalem and Antioch were the centres for the early Christian movement, and the apostle Paul&rsquo;s missionary expeditions targeted the major population and cultural centres of his day for strategic gospel work (e.g. Rome: political; Corinth: commercial; Ephesus: religious). </li>
</ul>
<p>So a city has a great deal of potential &ndash; Tim Keller puts it this way: "the city is like a magnifying glass, bringing out both the best and the worst in human beings".&nbsp; In our first section of prayer we&rsquo;re going to reflect and pray about the Lordship of Jesus and God&rsquo;s heart for the city.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>(1) TIME FOR ORIENTING OURSELVES IN THE WORD<br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 1: The Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord&rsquo;s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion&mdash; to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations&rdquo; (Isaiah 61:1-4)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><em>&ldquo;All authority</em> in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make <em>disciples</em><em> of <em>all nations</em></em>&rdquo; (Matthew 28:18)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven&hellip; Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness&rdquo; (Matthew 6:10, 33)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, &ldquo;Look! God&rsquo;s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. &lsquo;He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death&rsquo; or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.&rdquo;<sup>&nbsp;</sup>He who was seated on the throne said, &ldquo;I am making everything new!&rdquo; (Revelation 21:1-5)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God&rsquo;s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God&rsquo;s right hand in the heavenly realms.Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else&mdash;not only in this world but also in the world to come.<sup>&nbsp;</sup>God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church&rdquo; (Ephesians 1:19-22 NLT)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,&nbsp;in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins&hellip; For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,&nbsp;and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross&rdquo; (Colossians 1:13-20)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 2: The Heart of God For The City &amp; Its People</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>God will judge the immorality, injustice and inhumanity of the city: </strong>&ldquo;Fallen, fallen is Babylon The Great&hellip; For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living&hellip;. So will Babylon the Great City be thrown down with violence and will be found no more&rdquo; (Revelation 18)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>God cares about the lost population of the city: </strong>&ldquo;Should not I have compassion on Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?&rdquo; (Jonah 4:11)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>God commissions His people to serve the common good in the city: </strong>&ldquo;Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare&rdquo; (Jeremiah 29:5-7)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>God commissions us to be His witnesses to the city: </strong>&ldquo;The Lord said to Paul one night in a vision: Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people&rdquo; (Acts 18:9-10)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>God&rsquo;s intention to bless the city: </strong>&ldquo;When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown&rdquo; (Proverbs 11:10)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Edinburgh&rsquo;s Motto: </strong>&ldquo;Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain&rdquo; (Psalm 127:1)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>God&rsquo;s displeasure at the cultural idols produced in the city: </strong>&ldquo;Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols&rdquo; (Acts 17:16)</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>(2) TIME PRAYING FOR THE CITY</strong></p>
<p><em>Cities are often the places where culture is created and new ideas formed, before flowing out to the rest of the nation (and increasing in our globalised age, out to the world).&nbsp; &nbsp;As ambassadors for King Jesus, we want to embody the counter-cultural values of His kingdom, as we live, love, show and tell the gospel.</em></p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 3: Gospel Initiatives and Opportunities in the City </strong></p>
<p>Here are some existing organisations which are seeking to make a difference for Christ in the city whom we can support in prayer:</p>
<ul>
<li>Scripture Union</li>
<li>Young Life</li>
<li>Edinburgh City Mission</li>
<li>Christians in Sport</li>
<li>Friends International</li>
<li>UCCF</li>
<li>Bethany Christian Trust</li>
<li>Christians Against Poverty</li>
<li>Other gospel churches and new church plants</li>
<li>Bible Colleges</li>
<li>Underbelly Street Cafe</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;Think of Christians you know who are involved in some of these sectors/spheres of society (Government, Education, Healthcare, Finance, The Arts, Industry, Scholarship, Media, Family Services, etc.) - pray for them by name to be faithful in making a difference for Christ in these places:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>&ldquo;</strong><strong>You are the salt of the earth&hellip;You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.<sup>&nbsp;</sup>Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven&rdquo; (Matthew 5:13-16)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Station 4: Personal Gospel Frontlines Around the City</strong></p>
<p>Praying for our personal gospel frontlines (around a map of the city, with people marking where God has placed them to shine and speak for Him) - with prompts to pray for neighbours, colleagues, kids' schools, sports clubs, etc.&nbsp; Pray that we would be fruitful in making a difference for Jesus: <strong>&ldquo;</strong><strong>By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples...You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should last&rdquo; (John 15:8,16).</strong></p>
<p>Mark Greene suggests there are 6M's for being fruitful for God in our different spheres of influence/frontlines for mission:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Modelling Godly character: </em>display the fruit of the Holy Spirit in midst of whatever you're doing.</li>
<li><em>Making good work:</em> do your ordinary tasks with God's help for God's glory.</li>
<li><em>Ministering grace and love:</em> take the initiative to serve, bless and go above-and-beyond for the sake of others.</li>
<li>Moulding the culture: contribute to the way things work to better reflect God's values.</li>
<li><em>Being a mouth-piece for truth and justice:</em> speak up for yourself or others when treated unfairly.</li>
<li><em>Being a messenger of the gospel: </em>intentionally seeking to share Christ, what He has done for a bad and broken world in the gospel and the real difference He makes in our lives.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>(3) TIME DREAMING AND PRAYING ABOUT OUR FUTURE MINISTRY IN THE CITY &amp; NATION</strong></p>
<p>The big question: <strong>"If we could do anything with the former cafe space and budget - to make a difference for God's kingdom, to make Jesus famous in this city, to see lives transformed by the gospel - what would be your dream?"</strong>&nbsp; We'll have time for people to discuss and pray in smaller groups, and there will be a table with a sheet of paper for people to start writing down things from their discussions.</p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Wed, 31 Oct 2018 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1875/Future of Carrubbers Cafehttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1872/
<p><strong>CONTEXT:</strong></p>
<p>Carrubbers Caf&eacute; was opened in the 1990s as a bold new vision for opening our doors and connecting with the city centre community (residents, tourists, business people) around us. This was a cutting edge ministry at a time when caf&eacute; culture was beginning to emerge in the UK. It was staffed primarily through volunteers, with interests and skills in baking and hospitality.</p>
<p>&nbsp;Over the last 5 years the Caf&eacute; ministry has faced a series of new challenges:</p>
<ul>
<li>Experienced baking staff have moved on and proved hard to replace with experienced catering staff who also possess a heart for ministry</li>
<li>Recruitment of volunteers (especially students) has become more challenging with the introduction of tuition fees and a corresponding rise in pressure upon students</li>
<li>Ongoing food price increases since the Credit Crunch</li>
<li>Raising of the minimum (living) wage, especially hits our operational costs when we have had to employ staff in place of volunteers</li>
<li>Loss of regular customers and significant rise in local &ldquo;competition,&rdquo; as more coffee shops open and caf&eacute; culture moves in a more artisan, specialist direction</li>
</ul>
<p>Overall, this means that the operational costs of the ministry have grown, while at the same time we are seeing less gospel impact on the customers and community.</p>
<p><strong>DECISION:</strong></p>
<p>With our manager and assistant manager moving on in Autumn 2018, it seems prudent stewardship to begin winding up the operation of the Caf&eacute;. Now we have a God-given, strategic opportunity to begin dreaming afresh for new missional opportunities which repurpose that space and reinvest those funds for the sake of seeing lives transformed by the good news of Jesus and making a difference for the sake of His kingdom.</p>
<p><strong>NEXT STEPS:</strong></p>
<p>We want to celebrate the long ministry of the Caf&eacute; that will be coming to an end, after it closes its doors in December 2018. However, we are determined to see those doors reopened &ndash; although we do not yet see what God has for us. We need to begin dreaming and asking God: what is the greatest thing we could do with this space to make a significant impact on the city for your glory?</p>
<p>&nbsp;In answering that question there is a missiological point to consider: In a post-Christian, secular society, we need to move beyond a &lsquo;Christendom&rsquo; mindset: where think if we have &lsquo;the right product marketed in the right way&rsquo; that people will come to us. This &ldquo;attractional&rdquo; model has limited value today outside of the context of meaningful relationships between Christians and their family/friends/colleagues/neighbours, etc. &ndash; where the Christian invites and brings them along to &ldquo;come and see&rdquo;. Instead, the &ldquo;missional&rdquo; model emphases that we need to be actively seeking to build bridges and have our hands and feet on the ground, imbedded into the life and rhythms of the community. It tells us that we need to find ways to &ldquo;care and serve&rdquo; the local community, to meet people at their point of need and thereafter build intentional relationships for the gospel. That might make us consider partnership with other Christian organisations who have expertise and could use the caf&eacute; space as a base and launching pad for new missional endeavours.</p>
<p>We want to invite the congregation to start praying and dreaming with us. We wish to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church, as He catches us up into the mission of God in this city and answers this question: Given THIS space and THESE funds &ndash; what could we do with God&rsquo;s help to make a significant impact on the city centre community? To this end we plan to lay these things before the Lord in the prayer meeting on 30th October</p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 29 Oct 2018 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1872/Special Prayer Meeting - Tuesday 30th October 730-9pmhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1873/
<p>On Sunday the elders shared how we will be winding up the running of the Cafe Ministry at Christmas.&nbsp; If you missed the announcement, or would like to read the full reasons behind it, please <strong><a href="/blog/post/future-of-carrubbers-cafe/">click here</a></strong> to read more.</p>
<p>Tomorrow night, our fifth Tuesday prayer meeting (730-9pm) is going to be dedicated to praying, dreaming and talking about the future of our ministry in the heart of the city of Edinburgh - the capital city of the great nation of Scotland.&nbsp; Our desire is to do all we can to spread the fame of Jesus' name and serve for the sake of God's gospel kingdom.&nbsp; We earnestly want you to dream and journey with us at this exciting and strategically significant moment.&nbsp; So please come and join as we seek our Father's face in prayer and seek to discern what the Spirit is saying to our church about the future, as we seek to play our part in the ongoing mission of Christ.</p>
<p>The evening will run as follows:</p>
<p><strong>Introduction (730pm):</strong> There's something bigger and better than the "2050 Edinburgh City Vision" in the mind and heart of God!</p>
<p><strong>Time For Orientating Ourselves (730-8pm)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 1:</strong> The Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 2: </strong>The Heart of God For The City &amp; Its People</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Time Praying For The City (8-830pm)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prayer Station 3: </strong>Gospel Initiatives and Opportunities in the City</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prayer Station 4: </strong>Personal Gospel Frontlines Around the City</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Time Talking, Praying and Dreaming About Our Future Ministry In This City! (830-9pm)</strong></p>
<p>Here's a sneak peak of the set-up:</p>
<p><strong><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140033167.jpg" width="343" height="257" /><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140044817.jpg" width="343" height="257" /></strong></p>
<p><strong><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140057654.jpg" width="344" height="258" /><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140110936.jpg" width="344" height="258" /></strong></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 29 Oct 2018 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1873/Special Prayer Meeting: October 30th 730-9pmhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1874/
<p>On Sunday the elders shared how we will be winding up the running of the Cafe Ministry at Christmas.&nbsp; If you missed the announcement, or would like to read the full reasons behind it, please <strong><a href="/blog/post/future-of-carrubbers-cafe/">click here</a></strong> to read more.</p>
<p>Tomorrow night, our fifth Tuesday prayer meeting (730-9pm) is going to be dedicated to praying, dreaming and talking about the future of our ministry in the heart of the city of Edinburgh - the capital city of the great nation of Scotland.&nbsp; Our desire is to do all we can to spread the fame of Jesus' name and serve for the sake of God's gospel kingdom.&nbsp; We earnestly want you to dream and journey with us at this exciting and strategically significant moment.&nbsp; So please come and join as we seek our Father's face in prayer and seek to discern what the Spirit is saying to our church about the future, as we seek to play our part in the ongoing mission of Christ.</p>
<p>The evening will run as follows:</p>
<p><strong>Introduction (730pm):</strong> There's something bigger and better than the "2050 Edinburgh City Vision" in the mind and heart of God!</p>
<p><strong>Time For Orientating Ourselves (730-8pm)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 1:</strong> The Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Prayer Station 2: </strong>The Heart of God For The City &amp; Its People</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Time Praying For The City (8-830pm)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prayer Station 3: </strong>Gospel Initiatives and Opportunities in the City</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prayer Station 4: </strong>Personal Gospel Frontlines Around the City</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Time Talking, Praying and Dreaming About Our Future Ministry In This City! (830-9pm)</strong></p>
<p>Here's a sneak peak of the set-up:</p>
<p><strong><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140033167.jpg" width="343" height="257" /><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140044817.jpg" width="343" height="257" /></strong></p>
<p><strong><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140057654.jpg" width="344" height="258" /><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/10/IMG_20181029_140110936.jpg" width="344" height="258" /></strong></p>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 29 Oct 2018 05:59:59 +0000https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1874/W2W Blog: New Series launchhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1866/
<p>Good afternoon ladies...&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are REALLY looking forward to starting off our new series in Titus next Wednesday...&nbsp;</p>
<p>We'll be digging into God's word together to encourage each other to grow in godliness in the midst of the culture we live in and church family we belong to.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Come join us for dinner in the cafe at 6:30pm Wednesday 3rd October (email <a href="mailto:sue.rose@carrubbers.org">sue.rose@carrubbers.org </a>to let us know you'll be there) or join us at 7:30pm in the lower hall as we get together around God's word. Please use the side door to access the cafe.</p>
<p>Looking forward to all God will teach us in the year ahead</p>
<p>love Karen x<img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/09/Slide1.JPG" /></p>
<p><img src="/image/uploads/carrubbers.org/2018/09/Slide2.JPG" /></p>karen.clark@carrubbers.org (karen clark)Tue, 25 Sep 2018 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1866/Logos - Getting to Grips with the Prophecy of Isaiahhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1864/
<p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p>
<p>The Prophecy of Isaiah is one of the largest and most significant books of the Bible.&nbsp; Some have called it: &ldquo;The Bible In Miniature&rdquo;.&nbsp; Because it splits into two halves &ndash; just as the OT has 39 books and the NT has 27 books - likewise Isaiah ch.1-39 addresses Israel&rsquo;s sin, threatens judgement and being sent away into exile; and ch.40-66 looks to the future with the promise of God bringing His people home from exile, and forgiving their sins through the work of His Servant.</p>
<p>The book begins with God calling the heavens and earth to be witnesses as He puts His people (Israel) on trial for their unfaithfulness; but the book ends with God creating a new heavens and new earth filled with people (from all nations) saved by His faithful Servant.</p>
<p>Isaiah&rsquo;s name means <strong>&ldquo;The LORD is Salvation&rdquo;</strong> &ndash; which points us to Jesus whose name also means <strong>&ldquo;The LORD Saves&rdquo;</strong>.&nbsp; Although Isaiah lived 700 years before Jesus, Jesus says in John 12 that <strong>&ldquo;Isaiah saw my glory&rdquo;</strong>.&nbsp; The New Testament quotes from Isaiah at least 20 times and refers to it countless more times.&nbsp; So this is an important book for Christians to drink deeply from to appreciate more of who Jesus is!</p>
<p>Tonight I want to share with you some tools to help you get the most out of reading Bible prophecy generally &ndash; and help you start to get to grips with Isaiah specifically.</p>
<p><strong>HOOK</strong></p>
<p>Whenever we open up the Bible we are going on a journey: from &ldquo;OUR TOWN&rdquo; to &ldquo;BIBLE TOWN&rdquo;.&nbsp; Our Town and Bible Town are separated by a river which represents the fact that we&rsquo;re going back to a time long ago, a country far away, a culture different to our own, reading a book written in a foreign language, given to people under the Old Covenant.&nbsp; That means that we&rsquo;ve got some work to do if we&rsquo;re to get the most out of our visit to Bible Town.&nbsp; Think of tonight as a kind of Guide Book for your time in Isaiah town, to help you ask the right questions and find answers that will help you see clearly what is going on in Isaiah.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here are the five questions which you can use for ANY Bible Study!</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>GENRE</strong>: What type of writing is it?</li>
<li><strong>CONTEXT</strong>: When and where is it set?</li>
<li><strong>OBSERVATION</strong>: What does it say?</li>
<li><strong>MEANING</strong>: What is the message? [For THEM/THEN]</li>
<li><strong>APPLICATION</strong>: So what difference does this make? [For US/NOW]</li>
</ul>
<p>Let&rsquo;s work through them together&hellip;</p>
<p><strong>BOOK</strong></p>
<p><strong>(1) GENRE: WHAT TYPE OF WRITING IS IT?</strong></p>
<p>You don&rsquo;t have to be an English literature student to know something about genres &ndash; or different types of writing.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Q: Shout out some examples of genres?</strong></p>
<p>There are different genres in the Bible, which you need to recognise and read accordingly.&nbsp; Some are easier to read than others &ndash; for example: narratives are easy to read because we love story, poems take a bit of imagination, and the prophets require us to work hard!</p>
<ol>
<li><strong> When you hear the word prophet/prophecy &ndash; what associations come to mind?</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>There were two types of prophecy: Prophets weren&rsquo;t just people who were given visions and messages about the FUTURE by God (fore-telling) &ndash; most of their sermons were &ldquo;forth telling&rdquo;.&nbsp; They have been called &ldquo;covenant enforcers&rdquo; &ndash; their job was to speak to God&rsquo;s people in the PRESENT &ndash; calling them to take seriously what it means to live as God&rsquo;s people in covenant relationship with Him.&nbsp; Almost like a best-man is there to tell a married man: Remember to take seriously your vows to your wife.&nbsp; The prophets&rsquo; had two basic themes:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>God&rsquo;s warnings</strong>: God&rsquo;s judgement is coming against the people for their sins of idolatry, immorality, inhumanity and indifference.</li>
<li><strong>God&rsquo;s promises</strong>: there is hope of deliverance from and restoration beyond judgement for those who faithfully trust God.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>(2) CONTEXT: WHEN/WHERE IS IT SET?</strong></p>
<p>If you read something out of context, then it can mean that you miss its true significance.&nbsp; For example, let me read you an extract from a famous book &ndash; out of context&hellip; Listen and then tell me how interesting it seems&hellip;</p>
<p><em>&nbsp;&ldquo;In the 21 months we&rsquo;ve lived here, we&rsquo;ve been through a good man &lsquo;food cycles&rsquo; &ndash; you&rsquo;ll understand what I mean in a moment.&nbsp; A &lsquo;food cycle&rsquo; is a period in which we have only one particular dish or type of vegetable to eat.&nbsp; For a long time we ate nothing but endive.&nbsp; Endive with sand, endive with mashed potatoes, endive and mashed potato casserole.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s not much fun when you have to eat it every day for lunch and dinner, but when you&rsquo;re hungry enough, you do a lot of things&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>Does your perception of the passage change if I tell you that this is from Anne Frank&rsquo;s Diary?&nbsp; When put in context, what seems quite a boring piece of text, suddenly comes alive with new significance when you know that this is the account of a young Jewish girl, hiding from the Nazis.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Likewise, when you put Isaiah into its Biblical Context and Historical Context, then you can begin to see its significance then and now!</p>
<p><strong>(a) BIBLE STORY CONTEXT:</strong></p>
<p>The kingdom that they can see with their eyes around them is failing, but the prophets call the people to have faith in the kingdom of God that is promised to come in the future.</p>
<p><strong>(b) HISTORICAL CONTEXT:</strong></p>
<p>Isaiah begins his book locating himself in history: <strong>&ldquo;</strong><strong>The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah&rdquo;</strong>.&nbsp; Isaiah ministered under a succession of kings, who appear in a spiritual Hall of Shame: two-faced &ldquo;<strong>Uzziah</strong><strong>&rdquo;</strong>, half-hearted &ldquo;<strong>Jotham</strong><strong>&rdquo;</strong>, and wicked &ldquo;<strong>Ahaz</strong><strong>&rdquo;.&nbsp; </strong>The exception was faithful &ldquo;<strong>Hezekiah</strong><strong>&rdquo;, </strong>but his son, Manasseh, turned out to be the worst of all the kings and had Isaiah murdered.&nbsp; His ministry started in the year Uzziah died &ndash; 740BC.&nbsp; His death marked the beginning of a period of grave uncertainty and instability for the people of God in the nation of Judah.</p>
<p>Discuss: In what ways can knowing these historical contexts help us appreciate the relevance of Isaiah for our situation today?</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Spiritually</strong>: The nation of Judah was in spiritual decline &ndash; the believing community in Judah had become a minority.</li>
<li><strong>Economically &amp; Socially</strong>: The prosperous reign of King Uzziah had seen rising injustice and inequality growing between rich and poor &ndash; and was followed by severe recession.</li>
<li><strong>Internationally</strong>: The peaceful reign of Uzziah was followed by uncertainty with Judah caught between two warring superpowers: a new aggressive and expansionist Assyria (to the north) and old defensive Egypt (to the south)</li>
<li><strong>Nationally</strong>: The union between the nations of Judah and Israel remained broken and there was rising hostility between them</li>
<li><strong>Politically</strong>: The kings of Judah had to decide how they would face these threats: through trust in God&rsquo;s promises or trust in Human policies/politics?</li>
</ul>
<p>We too live in days of tremendous upheaval and instability &ndash; no one knows what the future holds: socially, economically, politically &ndash; nationally or internationally.&nbsp; So in today&rsquo;s uncertain times, we need to be reminded of the greatness of God, who rules the nations and whose kingdom will prevail on the earth.</p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Also, like Isaiah, we live in days of national spiritual decline.&nbsp; In Scotland, the church no longer enjoys social privilege nor cultural influence, instead we are increasingly marginalised and maligned.&nbsp; Pundits confidently predict that the church is in terminal decline.&nbsp; Christians and churches look like nothing in the eyes of the elites of this world.&nbsp; Isaiah faced similar discouragements, but saw them from the infallible perspective of God&rsquo;s purpose for history: through this small insignificant nation God was going to bring His salvation to the whole world.&nbsp; Today, we need to hear what God has to say about our significant role in His plans for the world!</p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>(3) OBSERVATION: WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY?</strong></p>
<p><strong>&amp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>(4) MEANING: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (FOR THEM/THEN)</strong></p>
<p>What makes prophets like Isaiah strange to read is that they are recording sermons, which were preached or wrote in poetry!&nbsp; Poetry doesn&rsquo;t just state a point or idea &ndash; rather it develops it over multiple lines and forces you to slow down to consider: what is the prophet saying here?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Also Hebrew poetry works a lot differently to English poetry.&nbsp; We like our poems to have rhyme and meter &ndash; however, the key feature of Hebrew poetry is technically called &ldquo;parallelism&rdquo;.&nbsp; That means it repeats IDEAS not sounds across its lines!</p>
<p>Let&rsquo;s practice reading some Hebrew poetry.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll give you some examples of the three different types of parallelism &ndash; your task is to read it and tell me what is the point being made?</p>
<p><strong>(a) Antithetical parallelism (contrasts ideas)</strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;The ox knows its owner,</p>
<p>And the donkey its master&rsquo;s crib</p>
<p>But Israel does not know,</p>
<p>My people do not understand&rdquo; (1:3)</p>
<p><strong>(b) Synonymous parallelism (restates ideas)</strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Ah, sinful nation,</p>
<p>A people laiden with iniquity</p>
<p>Offspring of evildoers</p>
<p>Children who deal corruptly&rdquo; (1:4)</p>
<p><strong>(c) Synthetic parallelism (develops idea)</strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Your country lies desolate</p>
<p>Your cities are burned with fire</p>
<p>If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors</p>
<p>We should have become like Sodom</p>
<p>And become like Gomorrah&rdquo; (1:7-8)</p>
<p><strong>(5) APPLICATION: SO WHAT? (FOR US/NOW)</strong></p>
<p>We have to remember that we are only ever tourists in Bible Town &ndash; we don&rsquo;t actually live there and we have to return home to live our lives in Our Town.&nbsp; But we aren&rsquo;t meant to return empty handed &ndash; our experiences in Bible Town are meant to have impacted us and are meant to change how we live here upon our return.&nbsp; There will be all sorts of things we&rsquo;ll learn that are timeless, never change, and we can directly transfer to ourselves e.g.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Truths about God&rsquo;s character, purposes, promises and love for His people</strong></li>
<li><strong>Truths about Human nature</strong></li>
<li><strong>Truths about the sins of injustice, immorality, inhumanity and idolatry which God hates</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>However, there will be some things that we only indirectly directly relate to ourselves. Remember that the Prophets were &ldquo;covenant enforcers&rdquo; of the Old Covenant.&nbsp; They reminded the people that being in covenant with God involved enjoying blessings if they were obedient, and suffering curses if they were disobedient!&nbsp; We are included in the New Covenant today, because the Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Christ.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s in the light of Christ that we need to listen to the warnings and promises of Isaiah.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>In His life</strong>, Jesus has perfectly obeyed God His Father and so as the Messiah or King, He has won the promised blessings for His people to share with Him.</li>
<li><strong>In His death</strong>, Jesus has suffered the curses for the sins and disobedience of Israel and the nations, so that His people might be saved by trusting in Him as their Saviour and King.</li>
</ul>
<p>Isaiah&rsquo;s message is full of the good news about Jesus, for us today!</p>
<p>Our final exercise tonight will be to look at some of the prophecies about the life and work of Jesus: <strong>How do these relate to Jesus and His work for us?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Jesus&rsquo; virgin birth <strong>(ch.7)</strong></li>
<li>His three year gospel ministry <strong>(ch.42, 49, 61)</strong></li>
<li>His crucifixion and resurrection to save His people <strong>(ch.52-53)</strong></li>
<li>His gospel going out and converting the nations <strong>(ch.19, 55-56)</strong></li>
<li>His kingdom reigning on earth <strong>(ch.9,11)</strong></li>
<li>His new creation and the final judgement of evil <strong>(ch.65-66)</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>TOOK: PRAYER</strong></p>
David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Mon, 17 Sep 2018 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1864/There is Hope - Night onehttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1857/
<p>A great first night, where we were very aware of our reliance on God and not on our own abilities or resources. There was a steady stream of people in, and lots of good conversations going on.</p>
<p>Praise:</p>
<p>Thanks to God for His peace upon things - lots of hurdles to overcome tonight as we learnt how to do things / get things working (first night); but, with the prayer team working overdrive, things were starting to come together which we're really grateful for.</p>
<p>Praise for great music from the House Band &amp; Alabaster Box - visitors were joining in with Amazing Grace!</p>
<p>Prayer:</p>
<p>Lots of things we need to prep &amp; get running for night two. Please pray for God's hand of Grace to go before us.</p>
<p>That everyone visiting would be welcomed, hear a clear presentation of the Gospel, and feel challenged by what they've heard and seen.</p>
<p>For the team - lots of people on night one - thanks! Please pray for plenty of workers for subsequent nights, and that we'll all be filled with Grace to support &amp; encourage one another. We all need God's protection too as we're in the front line.</p>
<p>Please also remember in prayer the Puppets ministry - lots of people in, and the Buckstone holiday club - kids/Mums/Dads - pray that they all felt/feel welcome and hear the good news of Jesus. Pray for all those taking part/leading - that they'll be encouraged and emboldened in Faith and Hope.</p>
Steve.Earl@carrubbers.org (Steve Earl)Tue, 07 Aug 2018 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1857/Praying With The Trinityhttps://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1854/
<div dir="auto">I have met people who have become wearied and disenchanted after spending years seeking an encounter or greater experience of God in their lives. They have gone to meetings, conferences, pilgrimages; they have read all the books; they have fasted and practised all the spiritual disciplines. But somehow they didn't find what they thought they we looking for.&nbsp; However, fellowship or communion with the Triune God is not something reserved for a spiritual elite; it's not a hidden secret, nor is it something in scarce supply. Rather here's a simple thought from C.S. Lewis about what is really happening when we bow our heads in prayer in our homes - calling on God as our Father, taking the posture as one of His children adopted in His Son, and brought near the heart of God by His Spirit - this is nothing less than participation in the inner triune life of God!</div>
<div dir="auto">&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="auto"><em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,tahoma,helvetica,freesans,sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; background-color: #ffffff;">"An ordinary simple Christian kneels down to say his prayers. He is trying to get into touch with God. But if he is a Christian he knows that what is prompting him to pray is also God: God, so to speak, inside him. But he also knows that all his real knowledge of God comes through Christ, the Man who was God&mdash;that Christ is standing beside him, helping him to pray, praying for him. You see what is happening. God is the thing to which he is praying&mdash;the goal he is trying to reach. God is also the thing inside him which is pushing him on&mdash;the motive power. God is also the road or bridge along which he is being pushed to that goal. So that the whole threefold life of the three-personal Being is actually going on in that ordinary little bedroom where an ordinary man is saying his prayers. The man is being caught up into the higher kinds of life&mdash;what I called </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial,tahoma,helvetica,freesans,sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; background-color: #ffffff;">spiritual life - he is being pulled into God, by God, while still remaining himself."</span></em></div>David.Nixon@carrubbers.org (David Nixon)Wed, 25 Jul 2018 05:59:59 +0100https://secure.carrubbers.org/blog/post/1854/